Children are Irrational

This is just a short blurb because perhaps someone out there with more experience with children can help me answer this question. Princess E, my dear daughter of three years, is a "eat on the runner". That is, she'll sit down to breakfast, or lunch, eat a bit, excuse herself, run around, then expects to come back to the table with everything the same as she left it. She is highly disappointed when I have cleared the table or when someone else, namely her brothers, have eaten her food.

Today, as I was sitting in my office, she comes to me and demands to know where her bagel is. More specifically, she declares, "Somebody took my bagel!" I say, "Where was it?" "On the TABLE! SOMEBODY took it." Of course I know who took it, it was her bagel-stealing older brother, Mr. Mookie. But I don't tell her that - you think I want to start a war? Instead I say, in my most motherly voice, "Well, Princess E,, if you leave food on the table, then someone is going to eat it. If you want to eat it, you should eat it when you are sitting at the table."

What did she say? "Humph." And walked away. I think it would have made more difference if I'd said the bagel fairy took it.

Once again....

Oh, dear, dear readers! Once again I have left you hanging for over a month without any updates to my exciting life as a stay at home mom!!

Let's see, what have I missed updating you with? Well, for starters, Mookie was sick again! That durn preschool has as many germs as that nasty Monica Lewinsky dress. I mean, really, he only is there three times a week for 3 hours at a time. I really must get on all of the little ones about the importance of handwashing. However, his sickness did not develop into the crisis it was in September(see here for the full story. Anyway, I only had to hit him a couple of times with the Xopenex, but I took him to the doctor just to be sure. Not that I'm a big worrywart, but the Goddess will NEVER let her little Mookie get to that crisis stage again, not if she can help it!

So, after Mookie got sick, so did the Diva and Squeaky. Nothing is as heavenly as wiping three runny noses at once and running back and forth in the middle of the night because the Diva woke up and her nose is stuffed up. What a drama QUEEN! "Oh, my dose, my dose my DOSE" I wanted to tell her, look honey, stop all that screaming, concentrate on breathing and you won't have a problem. But, how do you reason with a three year old? Answer: you don't!

Now, the business. I've been workign on the website, making products,taking pictures and on top of that all, trying to keep the house in some sort of working order. My husband is a saint, because he doesn't balk when I call after a particularly difficult day and say "can you stop and pick up...." He will be rewarded greatly when my business takes off!

Anyway, dear reader, that's my sorry excuse for not keeping you thoroughly entertained for the last month. I promise to be much more diligent in the future!

Just Rambling Today

I hadn't realized how long I'd been away from my blog until I stopped by today and noticed that I hadn't posted since last week. Well, you know I've got several stories to share.

Every morning, when I attempt to use the bathroom by myself, my 4 y.o. and my almost 3 y.o. (the 18 month old is confined to his crib) prance and march past the bathroom door (after one of them opens it) asking me "What are you doing mommy, going potty?" (Well at least I know they're not dumb!!) This morning, I viewed the same parade again - 4 year old, then almost 3 year old......then 18 month old???? I had to run back through my memory banks - maybe I lifted him out of the crib before I went to the bathroom??? My oldest cleared that up right away for me - "Joshie was climbing out of the crib and I helped lifted him down so he wouldn't fall."

Wow! Immediately I had three thoughts - yay, I can finally get rid of the crib or at least take the front of it off 2) I don't have to lift that heavy little chunk out of the crib any more and 3) how thoughtful and helpful my oldest was and how succintly he explained his actions.

This is not to say I'm raising a band of angels. Sometimes when they get it going with each other, I make a beeline for the bathroom and take a respite from their noise with my old timers' eighties hits on my I-Pod (thank you DH for that little portable oasis). The point is for me is how nice and unselfish they can be with each other. I get all squishy feeling inside that I actually taught them that! Wow!

Ok, I'm done patting myself on the back. :) - If you have children what are some of the nicest things you've seen them do and were amazed?

My Snobbish Children

I used to talk about people on foood stamps - how all they used to buy their children was fruit drinks and hotdogs. Now, as a mom of three children under four, I realize how expensive it is to buy good food for your children. Juice alone (100% juice, not juice drink or juice cocktail) cost anywhere from 2 -3.49 per 1/2 gallon - more expensive than gasoline! Now if you've only got a few hundred for the MONTH and trying to feed three little ones, forget it. You're picking up the cheapest stuff possible to make that food stamp last. It's such a shame because the poor nutrition these children are receiving is directly correlated with their performance and their basic ability to perform in school - who the heck can think straight on a belly full of fruit punch soda and a honey bun, where child in the next seat has had oatmeal, bacon/eggs toast and orange juice for breakfast. How sad that No Child Left Behind doesn't cover breakfast foods also.

That being said, the family attended a storytelling session sponsored by my local Mocha Moms. The refreshments included a choice between fruit punch w/ .02 percent juice (but oh, so sugary sweet and good, admit it!!!) and apple juice. I tried to pour some of the fruit punch for my children - since they only have 100% juice at home, i figured they would appreciate the surgary goodness. Heck , no. "Mommy,I want apple juice. I don't want red juice". I had to shake my head and my nearly empty wallet (well, my husbands nearly empty wallet). They won't eat canned spaghetti- Now they're Don Coreleone, right? "We want hot pasta, mommy. Can you boil some water?" Oh, how about McDonald's? "No, mommy, can you cook us a burger?". For lunch- How about a baloney sandwich (my secret vice, along with the sugary goodness of the red juice) " No mommy, can I have natural peanut butter and jelly?"

Yes, my crunchy, nutrition oriented children resist my attempts at tempting them with