So being pregnant with your second child makes it much harder to find time to sit down and reflect on the wonderfully creative and hilarious things that your preschooler says and does. I love writing a bout Mariella and how unique and sometimes unpredictable she is. But this last year has been very hectic. So, instead of many posts, I've accumulated a summary of many of the funny things she has said in this last year. And, now that Max is here, my pledge for 2014 is to do a better job at getting on here and writing more in depth about the crazy adventures of a mother of two. Anyway, here are some highlights of 2013:
April 5, 2013
Negotiating with a 3 year old:
Me: Do you want candy or a cookie because you can't have both.
Mariella: I want a cookie.
Me: Ok, so that means you can't have candy. So you want a cookie?
Mariella: Yes.
Me: Okay, here's your cookie. Now don't ask me for candy, okay?
Mariella: I can have candy later.
Me: No, you can have a cookie today and that's all. Maybe you can have candy tomorrow.
Mariella: Ok, I'll have candy tomorrow.
(Cookie gets eaten.)
Mariella: Mommy, I don't want a cookie, I want candy.
Me: But you already ate the cookie.
Mariella: But I don't want the cookie. I want candy.
July 4, 2013
So, the other day Mariella declared that only mommies have babies in their bellies. She told Chris that daddies and little girls don't have babies in their bellies. So Chris, trying to tease her, sticks his belly out and told her that he in fact did have a baby in his belly too. Apologetically Mariella patted his stomach and said, "No daddy, you're just fat."
July 4, 2013
Last night, Chris took Mariella to see fireworks but because of traffic after the show, they got home really late. She came in the door around 11:30pm so excited. I thought she was going to tell me how awesome the fireworks were. But instead she said, "Mommy, I'm nocturnal!"
July 6, 2013
So first let me say that I think it's amazing that a 3 year old knows all the words to at least five of the top ten hits regularly played on the radio recently, but yesterday we were in the car listening to the radio and from the back we suddenly here, "Daddy turn this up this is one of my bands!"
Nov. 11, 2013
Mariella: Mom I want to go to Juggy Jesus.
Me: Where?
Mariella: Juggy Jesus. It's where a kid can be a kid.
Me: Oh, you mean Chucky Cheese's?
Mariella: Yeah, Chucky Cheese's. It's where a kid can be a kid. I want to go there.
Dec. 21, 2013
A little too much Super Why?
Me: Mariella, please don't spill your soup.
Mariella: But I have to spill my soup. I can't help it. It's in my story.
Me: It's not in your story. You write your own story because your a little girl not a character in a book.
Mariella: No mommy, it's in my story, see? "Mariella spills her soup."
Dec. 23, 2013
Mariella: (To me as I'm getting dressed after my shower) Mommy, your boobies shake just like daddy's.
Me: (Laughing) What?? Daddy's boobies shake?
Mariella: (Whispers and giggles with her hand to her mouth) Yeah, hee, hee.
Me: No they don't! Daddy doesn't have boobies. You're silly. (He really doesn't. I don't know where she was getting this)
Mariella: Well, he doesn't really have boobies like yours. Yours are enormous!
Dec. 23, 2013
Lately, Mariella's TV privileges have opened up to include Sprout, which has commercials. Up until this year, she always only watched PBS, and so she never really saw a lot of commercials, which was great because I never liked exposure to stuff that would automatically make her think she wants it. I liked that she never saw a Barbie commercial or Pilllow Pets commercial, etc. It made life so much easier. But, we love Sprout, so I compromised. However, now she has not only viewed commercials, she has memorized them and become these companies' self appointed representative. Every day, she comes running up to me now with a very convincing sales pitch.
"Mommy, we gotta get Oxyclean."
"Why, Mariella?"
"Because it gets the tough stains out. We need that to get our tough stains out, Mommy."
"Mommy, when we put up our Christmas decorations, we need to use Command Brand."
"Oh, we do?"
"Yeah, we need to use Command Brand for all our decorating needs."
(Then she proceeds to explain to me in detail how the products work.)
"Mommy, we have to buy Gummy Vitamins."
"Really?"
"Yeah, so we don't have to have hard vitamins anymore. And they have them for adults and kids!"
Tuesday, February 4, 2014
Friday, January 10, 2014
Dog turds, Disorders & Debris
It never fails that the dogs find a way to make me work just a little bit harder, especially when I'm trying not to. Last fall, I bought them these 30 foot tie outs so they could go out the back sliding glass doors to pee. Since then, I have untangled those nice long cords at least three times a day every day. So basically, in an attempt to make my life easier by giving them some freedom, I have added approximately 1,620 extra minutes of useless work to my life. And counting. Last night, I opened the sliding doors to call Maggie back into the house after she peed. She walked toward me, tethered to her 30 foot long pain in my ass and then stopped. She sat down and looked at me helpless and expectant. She was stuck on something. Again. So I had to trudge out into the cold again to loosen her snag. When I approached her, I saw what it was. She was caught on a turd that had frozen to the concrete patio.
When I got back in the house, I caught a whiff of Mandie and it got me thinking. Mandie is like the kid at school that nobody wants to sit by. She is stinky all the time. I'm actually glad she doesn't have any little doggie friends because they'd likely make up rumors about us, like I'm an alcoholic and have men in, or we have bed bugs and lice because I never clean, or we live among large piles of trash because we cannot afford the waste removal bill.
You know, our house actually did start to resemble this scenario just last week. I threw my back out, so order and civilization in our household came to a screeching halt. Chris did his best to feed and bathe the baby, take the dogs out to pee and feed them, but it was rough going for everyone. I'd say we all barely survived Armageddon.
My room especially, at least the immediate vicinity around my bed, started to look like the inside of a crazy bag lady's grocery cart. A dish, a bra, a few half empty bottles of fluids that all serve different uses, hair pins, a razor, ice packs, tissues (mostly used), a bucket... the list goes on. Chris told me that it never takes very long after I become bed ridden for a barrier of stuff to develop around me, making it almost impossible to get to me. Maybe there's some psychology there. I don't know. What I do know is that, for about six days we were slowly sinking into a pile of items that just could not find their way home.
Finally fed up with trying repeatedly to claw my way out of a bed that resembles a tar pit, I went to join the group in the living room. It had been days since I had sat with my family on the couch for an evening of relaxation but my back was feeling better. As we sat and watched TV, one of those commercials came on, advertising a pill to cure a bodily function "discovered" by some researcher with too much time and a load of extra government grant dollars . This new disorder that has just recently been "diagnosed" is called Acute Urinary Leakage (AUL), otherwise known as "I sneezed and I pissed myself."
It's like Fibromyalgia. Fibromyalgia is an imaginary, or should I say "indeterminate" disease that was "discovered" when baby boomers fell into denial about the aging process. So, it's really just a fancy word for "Hey! Your body hurts because you're OLD!" So, it got me thinking. I wonder if I could come up with my own imaginary disorders. Here's some I've "discovered" so far:
1. HBD--- High Booger Density. With this disorder, there really is no light at the end of the tunnel. I mean you are really stuck between a rock and a hard place.
2. EPH--- Extroverted Pubic Hair. This is a disorder that develops when your pubes have grown out of control and peak out from the sides of your underwear.
3. HGH--- Husband Gas Hypersensitivity. This disorder occurs when the sound and smell of your husband's farts become so overwhelming to you that they can actually wake you out of a sound sleep.
4. TAS--- Trumpet Ass Syndrome. When your farts become so loud, they can wake the dead, and usually wake your wife and your daughter who sleeps two rooms away.
5. BCB--- Butt Crust Build-up. This disorder occurs when you become too fat or too crippled to reach your butt. Symptoms include no one wanting to sit next to you and a cloud of stank hovering over you at all times.
These disorders are serious, at least in our home, and we will be watching the TV, anxiously waiting for the day when an ad comes on with a pill that will save us from our anguish. Right now, we're just thankful we can finally put a name to these debilitating disorders.
When I got back in the house, I caught a whiff of Mandie and it got me thinking. Mandie is like the kid at school that nobody wants to sit by. She is stinky all the time. I'm actually glad she doesn't have any little doggie friends because they'd likely make up rumors about us, like I'm an alcoholic and have men in, or we have bed bugs and lice because I never clean, or we live among large piles of trash because we cannot afford the waste removal bill.
You know, our house actually did start to resemble this scenario just last week. I threw my back out, so order and civilization in our household came to a screeching halt. Chris did his best to feed and bathe the baby, take the dogs out to pee and feed them, but it was rough going for everyone. I'd say we all barely survived Armageddon.
My room especially, at least the immediate vicinity around my bed, started to look like the inside of a crazy bag lady's grocery cart. A dish, a bra, a few half empty bottles of fluids that all serve different uses, hair pins, a razor, ice packs, tissues (mostly used), a bucket... the list goes on. Chris told me that it never takes very long after I become bed ridden for a barrier of stuff to develop around me, making it almost impossible to get to me. Maybe there's some psychology there. I don't know. What I do know is that, for about six days we were slowly sinking into a pile of items that just could not find their way home.
Finally fed up with trying repeatedly to claw my way out of a bed that resembles a tar pit, I went to join the group in the living room. It had been days since I had sat with my family on the couch for an evening of relaxation but my back was feeling better. As we sat and watched TV, one of those commercials came on, advertising a pill to cure a bodily function "discovered" by some researcher with too much time and a load of extra government grant dollars . This new disorder that has just recently been "diagnosed" is called Acute Urinary Leakage (AUL), otherwise known as "I sneezed and I pissed myself."
It's like Fibromyalgia. Fibromyalgia is an imaginary, or should I say "indeterminate" disease that was "discovered" when baby boomers fell into denial about the aging process. So, it's really just a fancy word for "Hey! Your body hurts because you're OLD!" So, it got me thinking. I wonder if I could come up with my own imaginary disorders. Here's some I've "discovered" so far:
1. HBD--- High Booger Density. With this disorder, there really is no light at the end of the tunnel. I mean you are really stuck between a rock and a hard place.
2. EPH--- Extroverted Pubic Hair. This is a disorder that develops when your pubes have grown out of control and peak out from the sides of your underwear.
3. HGH--- Husband Gas Hypersensitivity. This disorder occurs when the sound and smell of your husband's farts become so overwhelming to you that they can actually wake you out of a sound sleep.
4. TAS--- Trumpet Ass Syndrome. When your farts become so loud, they can wake the dead, and usually wake your wife and your daughter who sleeps two rooms away.
5. BCB--- Butt Crust Build-up. This disorder occurs when you become too fat or too crippled to reach your butt. Symptoms include no one wanting to sit next to you and a cloud of stank hovering over you at all times.
These disorders are serious, at least in our home, and we will be watching the TV, anxiously waiting for the day when an ad comes on with a pill that will save us from our anguish. Right now, we're just thankful we can finally put a name to these debilitating disorders.
Friday, July 27, 2012
Don't Bark at Jesus
With a new baby in the house, it is hard to get anything done beyond diaper changing and bottle feeding. So it is no surprise that the dogs' fur has slowly grown into the carpet as they lay around waiting and hoping that one day again they will be walked.
I have realized that the only hope they do have of ever getting out the door again is if I wake up at the crack of dawn, before Chris gets up for work and before the baby wakes up. So, in the dark, bundled up, we have been trekking out into the snow and cold wind to get our exercise. It's not ideal and we usually don't last beyond 15 minutes but it is better than two aging dogs becoming so fat and arthritic that they have to be wheeled up to their food bowls on push carts.
So we walk. And really, it's not that bad. Sort of peaceful, actually. Well, except for the other day when Maggie decided to wake the neighborhood by verbally accosting our Lord and Savior. You see, although the holidays are over, many houses still have their Christmas decorations up. One such home just up the street has a plastic Nativity complete with three-foot statues of the whole cast. In the center lies, of course, the baby Jesus. Well, Maggie was having none of it. As we were quietly making our way down the street, trying to sneak in and out of the neighborhood completely unnoticed, Maggie spots the Three Wise Men and apparently decides they must be burglars or terrorists or ugly... I don't know. But she goes postal on these plastic statues waking everyone up and giving me a heart attack.
As I dragged her away I shooshed her furiously and spit out "Don't bark at Jesus!" Later that day, it got me thinking. We have several rules which I'm pretty sure are somewhat unique to our household. Only the most recent addition to the list is, "Don't bark at Jesus." But here are a few others. And, in the interest of fairness, we have decided that these rules apply to everyone in the house equally.
1. Don't eat your poop. (Or anyone else's): If you find a pile of poo, don't eat it. No matter how hungry you are, or how appealing this poo might be, do not eat it.
2. Do not pee in your bed. (Or anyone else's): If you have to pee, resist the urge to find a bed in which to relieve yourself. No matter how tired, comfortable or warm you happen to be, no matter how far away an appropriate pee portal may be, beds are unacceptable places to deposit urine.
3. Do not let your bones break other people's bones.: If you are finished with your bones, even if only for a moment, do not leave them where others can trip on them and break a leg or ankle. Either finish the bone or keep it in a safe place where it will also avoid collecting carpet fuzz and hairs. (Because that's just gross).
4. Do not root around in the trash.: Furthermore, do not spread trash out on the floor in order to find what you are looking for. This is an activity which is strictly forbidden because it leads to unfortunate circumstances such as old rice being permanently glued to the carpet. It also leads to carpet licking which is also strictly forbidden simply because it is a dirty habit (refer to rule 11, "Do not lick the carpet").
5. Do not bite other members of the family.: This is a tough one because often there are times when you feel the other person deserves to be bitten but for the sake of peace, please refrain. Except of course in the event that a family member is trying to take your food. In this case and this case only, biting is totally appropriate.
6. Defend your food as if your life depends on it.: In accordance with rule 5, do whatever is necessary to defend your food from others in the house. (Except in cases where the lady of the house is involved, refer to rule 12).
7. Do not drag your butt across the floor.: If your butt is itching and you absolutely must scratch it, then fine. Scratch it. But under no circumstances will butt dragging be tolerated. Rubbing your butt where others walk is just plain rude. If you need help scratching your butt because you can't reach it, for instance, then ask for help. Otherwise, keep your butt off community spaces.
8. Do not lick yourself in front of company.: Licking is a private activity and should be done behind closed doors. If you must lick yourself, as in the above case of an itchy butt, do it in a room by yourself. Furthermore, do not lick yourself on other people's property, such as a pillow. It inevitably leaves a wet spot and this is unpleasant for the unsuspecting owner who happens upon it.
9. Do not wipe your snot on other people.: This is self-explanatory. Just don't do it.
10. Do not bark at Jesus.: If the Lord and his friends happen to be standing around minding their own business, do not bark at them. It is an unnecessary display of hostility towards someone who is willing to die for your sins. And believe me, if you break any of the above rules, Jesus is much more likely to forgive you before the man of the house will, so try to keep yourself on His good side.
TWO RULES WHICH DO NOT APPLY TO EVERYONE:
11. Do not lick the carpet.: Regardless of how irresistible it is or how attractive the odor, DO NOT lick the carpet.
12. Do not eat from someone else's plate.: Aside from the lady of the house, who is free to eat whatever she wants whenever she wants regardless of who it belongs to, no one is allowed to eat from someone else's plate. Period.
Now, for most homes, these rules are probably considered understood and need not be specified. However, in our house these rules are crucial to order and civility. We cannot survive without them. In the absence of these rules, I fear we would become a household of butt dragging, bed wetting, trash picking fools. This way, at least we're all on the same page.
I have realized that the only hope they do have of ever getting out the door again is if I wake up at the crack of dawn, before Chris gets up for work and before the baby wakes up. So, in the dark, bundled up, we have been trekking out into the snow and cold wind to get our exercise. It's not ideal and we usually don't last beyond 15 minutes but it is better than two aging dogs becoming so fat and arthritic that they have to be wheeled up to their food bowls on push carts.
So we walk. And really, it's not that bad. Sort of peaceful, actually. Well, except for the other day when Maggie decided to wake the neighborhood by verbally accosting our Lord and Savior. You see, although the holidays are over, many houses still have their Christmas decorations up. One such home just up the street has a plastic Nativity complete with three-foot statues of the whole cast. In the center lies, of course, the baby Jesus. Well, Maggie was having none of it. As we were quietly making our way down the street, trying to sneak in and out of the neighborhood completely unnoticed, Maggie spots the Three Wise Men and apparently decides they must be burglars or terrorists or ugly... I don't know. But she goes postal on these plastic statues waking everyone up and giving me a heart attack.
As I dragged her away I shooshed her furiously and spit out "Don't bark at Jesus!" Later that day, it got me thinking. We have several rules which I'm pretty sure are somewhat unique to our household. Only the most recent addition to the list is, "Don't bark at Jesus." But here are a few others. And, in the interest of fairness, we have decided that these rules apply to everyone in the house equally.
1. Don't eat your poop. (Or anyone else's): If you find a pile of poo, don't eat it. No matter how hungry you are, or how appealing this poo might be, do not eat it.
2. Do not pee in your bed. (Or anyone else's): If you have to pee, resist the urge to find a bed in which to relieve yourself. No matter how tired, comfortable or warm you happen to be, no matter how far away an appropriate pee portal may be, beds are unacceptable places to deposit urine.
3. Do not let your bones break other people's bones.: If you are finished with your bones, even if only for a moment, do not leave them where others can trip on them and break a leg or ankle. Either finish the bone or keep it in a safe place where it will also avoid collecting carpet fuzz and hairs. (Because that's just gross).
4. Do not root around in the trash.: Furthermore, do not spread trash out on the floor in order to find what you are looking for. This is an activity which is strictly forbidden because it leads to unfortunate circumstances such as old rice being permanently glued to the carpet. It also leads to carpet licking which is also strictly forbidden simply because it is a dirty habit (refer to rule 11, "Do not lick the carpet").
5. Do not bite other members of the family.: This is a tough one because often there are times when you feel the other person deserves to be bitten but for the sake of peace, please refrain. Except of course in the event that a family member is trying to take your food. In this case and this case only, biting is totally appropriate.
6. Defend your food as if your life depends on it.: In accordance with rule 5, do whatever is necessary to defend your food from others in the house. (Except in cases where the lady of the house is involved, refer to rule 12).
7. Do not drag your butt across the floor.: If your butt is itching and you absolutely must scratch it, then fine. Scratch it. But under no circumstances will butt dragging be tolerated. Rubbing your butt where others walk is just plain rude. If you need help scratching your butt because you can't reach it, for instance, then ask for help. Otherwise, keep your butt off community spaces.
8. Do not lick yourself in front of company.: Licking is a private activity and should be done behind closed doors. If you must lick yourself, as in the above case of an itchy butt, do it in a room by yourself. Furthermore, do not lick yourself on other people's property, such as a pillow. It inevitably leaves a wet spot and this is unpleasant for the unsuspecting owner who happens upon it.
9. Do not wipe your snot on other people.: This is self-explanatory. Just don't do it.
10. Do not bark at Jesus.: If the Lord and his friends happen to be standing around minding their own business, do not bark at them. It is an unnecessary display of hostility towards someone who is willing to die for your sins. And believe me, if you break any of the above rules, Jesus is much more likely to forgive you before the man of the house will, so try to keep yourself on His good side.
TWO RULES WHICH DO NOT APPLY TO EVERYONE:
11. Do not lick the carpet.: Regardless of how irresistible it is or how attractive the odor, DO NOT lick the carpet.
12. Do not eat from someone else's plate.: Aside from the lady of the house, who is free to eat whatever she wants whenever she wants regardless of who it belongs to, no one is allowed to eat from someone else's plate. Period.
Now, for most homes, these rules are probably considered understood and need not be specified. However, in our house these rules are crucial to order and civility. We cannot survive without them. In the absence of these rules, I fear we would become a household of butt dragging, bed wetting, trash picking fools. This way, at least we're all on the same page.
Wednesday, July 25, 2012
A Star Is Born/ Shake Your Buddha
Mariella loves to sing. She sings in the car, in the house, and pretty much anywhere in public. Lately she has really been picking up the lyrics on her songs. We play CD's in the car and in her playroom which have tons of great kids songs. She calls them "my music" and any other sound that has the audacity to leak from the car speakers is adamantly struck down and declared "not music."
One day, we were strolling around the grocery store, one of her most favorite concert venues. She was singing "Shake Your Booty" by KC and the Sunshine Band. Now, to be clear this is not a song from her kiddie CD's. This song she picked up during the era of "Dance Swords." What is Dance Swords you ask? Ok, we'll back up a little bit.
About a year ago, we took Mariella to the Halloween store, just for fun. They had a decent kids section so we had a look at some costume options. We found foam swords in a bin, right next to a speaker that was playing some dance music. Daddy picked up a sword and started dancing around and jabbing us with the sword. Mariella thought this was just the greatest thing and "Dance Swords" was born. We bought three swords, skipped the costume, and went right home. Chris put an LED light bulb in the light fixture in the living room that blinked in 20 different colors and even came with a remote control. He had gotten it for her for Christmas the year before just to stimulate and interest her. With that, our living room disco was created and Dance Swords commenced. We put on KC & the Sunshine Band and danced around with our swords. Best time of our lives.
Months later, we're in the grocery store and Mariella is loudly singing "Shake Your Booty" only she is pronouncing it "Shake your Buddha!" I kept requesting that she sing it quietly but she didn't feel the need. Just then, a fat old lady in a motorized cart came by and stopped near our cart. Mariella leaned over in the basket, nodded at the woman and said "Hey, hey. Shake your Buddha." The woman just looked at us like our heads fell off. "I leaned toward Mariella and whispered, "Mariella, not everyone likes to shake their Buddha."
The other day, we were walking in the park and Mariella was yell-singing "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" but only the Weee Ummum Oway part. Over and over. Again, I asked her to sing quietly to which she replied, "No I not. I sing loud. People wanna hear me."
One day, we were strolling around the grocery store, one of her most favorite concert venues. She was singing "Shake Your Booty" by KC and the Sunshine Band. Now, to be clear this is not a song from her kiddie CD's. This song she picked up during the era of "Dance Swords." What is Dance Swords you ask? Ok, we'll back up a little bit.
About a year ago, we took Mariella to the Halloween store, just for fun. They had a decent kids section so we had a look at some costume options. We found foam swords in a bin, right next to a speaker that was playing some dance music. Daddy picked up a sword and started dancing around and jabbing us with the sword. Mariella thought this was just the greatest thing and "Dance Swords" was born. We bought three swords, skipped the costume, and went right home. Chris put an LED light bulb in the light fixture in the living room that blinked in 20 different colors and even came with a remote control. He had gotten it for her for Christmas the year before just to stimulate and interest her. With that, our living room disco was created and Dance Swords commenced. We put on KC & the Sunshine Band and danced around with our swords. Best time of our lives.
Months later, we're in the grocery store and Mariella is loudly singing "Shake Your Booty" only she is pronouncing it "Shake your Buddha!" I kept requesting that she sing it quietly but she didn't feel the need. Just then, a fat old lady in a motorized cart came by and stopped near our cart. Mariella leaned over in the basket, nodded at the woman and said "Hey, hey. Shake your Buddha." The woman just looked at us like our heads fell off. "I leaned toward Mariella and whispered, "Mariella, not everyone likes to shake their Buddha."
The other day, we were walking in the park and Mariella was yell-singing "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" but only the Weee Ummum Oway part. Over and over. Again, I asked her to sing quietly to which she replied, "No I not. I sing loud. People wanna hear me."
The Mariella Lexicon Continued
"A Full Load"----- a dirty diaper
Opatus---- octupus
Hongry--- hungry
"You be me happy?"------ what she says when she knows mommy is not happy
"You wanna love me?"----- what she says when she knows mommy is really not happy
"Rerry not rerr come!" ----- Ready or not, here I come!
Babin' suit---- bathing suit
Heepo---- hippo
Blinket---- blanket (revised from "glee glit")
Itty Bitty Mouse----- Stuart Little
Bay Naid----- Band Aid
Opatus---- octupus
Hongry--- hungry
"You be me happy?"------ what she says when she knows mommy is not happy
"You wanna love me?"----- what she says when she knows mommy is really not happy
"Rerry not rerr come!" ----- Ready or not, here I come!
Babin' suit---- bathing suit
Heepo---- hippo
Blinket---- blanket (revised from "glee glit")
Itty Bitty Mouse----- Stuart Little
Bay Naid----- Band Aid
Dicken Around
Awhile back Mariella and I were looking for something fun to do, just to get out of the house. It was early spring but the weather was great and we wanted to play. So, we went to Fulton Farms in Troy. I thought they might have some small farm animals we could feed or pet. When we got there, they were still setting up the store for the season. They weren't officially open yet but the girl there said there were animals out back that we could visit. They had a very large, very disinterested pig, a pen full of goats that clamored at us like hungry zombies, and some pretty cool chickens and ducks.
Now at the time, Mariella was still struggling with some sounds and she pronounced her "ch" sound like a "d" sound. But she was pretty excited to see the birds and went about talking to them like they were her friends. We approached the fence and she knelt down and said, "Hey dickens, how ya doin?" I tried hard not to laugh out loud but she just kept saying it over and over. "Hey, dickens, how ya doin? How you doin', dickens? Look mommy, dickens!"
There were a lot of dickens. They were very perky, strutting dickens. Some were bald dickens, some not so bald. But when the dickens started to peck at Mariella, I decided it was time to go. We have a lot of time to deal with exposure to dickens.
Now at the time, Mariella was still struggling with some sounds and she pronounced her "ch" sound like a "d" sound. But she was pretty excited to see the birds and went about talking to them like they were her friends. We approached the fence and she knelt down and said, "Hey dickens, how ya doin?" I tried hard not to laugh out loud but she just kept saying it over and over. "Hey, dickens, how ya doin? How you doin', dickens? Look mommy, dickens!"
There were a lot of dickens. They were very perky, strutting dickens. Some were bald dickens, some not so bald. But when the dickens started to peck at Mariella, I decided it was time to go. We have a lot of time to deal with exposure to dickens.
Wednesday, February 15, 2012
Two Minutes
Lately, we have had to institute the Time Out for Mariella. For awhile, we experimented with it, trying new spots to call the "Time Out" but each time, she managed to find a way to enjoy it. Finally, we settled on the chair in my office. It is just off the living room so it works well to separate her from the activity but not isolate her too much. She has not yet found a way to enjoy it, so it has become our regular go-to spot.
When we sit her in the chair, we tell her what she did wrong and then we say "Two minutes," so she knows how long she has to sit there, not that she can tell time, but it has become part of the routine. So, for instance, when she throws her toys, we take her in there, sit her down and say, "Mariella, do not throw your toys. Now sit in here for two minutes." Then I usually show her two fingers and I say again, "Two minutes."
The other day, Maggie was the one to get in trouble. She has developed a stealth lurk and will strike for your food the minute you blink. She likes to steal Mariella's food for all the obvious reasons. When she scores, I usually hear Mariella cry and yell, "Mommy, Maggie eatin' my cookie!" This is what happened the other day. Well it happens almost every day. Anyway, when I got to the scene of the crime, Maggie was slinking around the table. I yelled at her and chased her into the den and told her to "get in her bed!"
Mariella came running behind me and stopped in the doorway to the den. She threw her arm forward and pointed into the den and yelled, "Two minutes!"
When we sit her in the chair, we tell her what she did wrong and then we say "Two minutes," so she knows how long she has to sit there, not that she can tell time, but it has become part of the routine. So, for instance, when she throws her toys, we take her in there, sit her down and say, "Mariella, do not throw your toys. Now sit in here for two minutes." Then I usually show her two fingers and I say again, "Two minutes."
The other day, Maggie was the one to get in trouble. She has developed a stealth lurk and will strike for your food the minute you blink. She likes to steal Mariella's food for all the obvious reasons. When she scores, I usually hear Mariella cry and yell, "Mommy, Maggie eatin' my cookie!" This is what happened the other day. Well it happens almost every day. Anyway, when I got to the scene of the crime, Maggie was slinking around the table. I yelled at her and chased her into the den and told her to "get in her bed!"
Mariella came running behind me and stopped in the doorway to the den. She threw her arm forward and pointed into the den and yelled, "Two minutes!"
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