Zoo Talk and the Lesson of the Week

I absolutely promise you that all of these conversations/scenarios have happened within the last 24 hours. And now you will understand why I refer to it as a Zoo!

ZK (That's me): Son, did you ever get a tissue and take care of that thing earlier?
Rhino: Yup!
ZK: So the one I'm looking at now is new?

R: You betcha!

From the dungeon (aka playroom)
O: Why won't you let me play with you? You are the meanest brother EVER!!
R: Oh Ho! You think so?

(I think he took it as a challenge!)

M: Help! Help! Help! Help! Help! (running up and down the hall waving her hands above her head wide eyed and crazy like)

ZK: What are you doing?

M: He's gonna get me!!
ZK: Who?!

M: (looking around all 360 degrees) Well, now. Where did he go?

O: Hey Momma, you know the cartoon when Pebbles and Bam Bam got married?
ZK: No. Did Pebbles and Bam Bam REALLY get married? I did not know that!
O: (all seriousness!) Mom. You really HAVE to watch more cartoons!

And finally, the lesson of the week from The Zoo:
I know you don't like how he's playing the game, but you can't make people play the way you want them to all the time. Sometimes you have to just go play a different game.

I know some adults who could use that lesson too, but we'll save that for another day, shall we?

******

And on a completely different note: Book count for our bedtime reading Project? 20 since Saturday night. None have been chapter books since we are at the beginning of The Project and a few of those have been repeats (Marmie thinks we should read Skeleton Hiccups every night) but so far the kids are loving the project. Our bedtime routine has gone much smoother since they know at the end of it they get to pile on the big bed and read. Yay!! We will probably try to start adding some more chapter books and classics this weekend and into next week.

While we're talking about it, The Project still has no name. A few that have been rattling around in my head for your consideration? The Bunkbed Project (since the girls just got bunk beds). Or Project Goodnight Zoo (a little nod to Good Night Gorilla). Feel free to toss your name suggestions our way. We will probably poll next week.

Someday I'll be on the Other End.

One of these days I am going to be on my sister's end of the phone during one of these conversations. (She's in red.)

Ouch! Ouch, ouch ouch!! No you can't have another snack! Ouch! You just ate an entire bag of marshmallows and washed it down with another blue cupcake.

Ummm, ok?

I hate wearing shoes. I just tripped coming up the stairs and jammed my wrist trying to get your call. And now I've stepped in dog poo. Has anyone seen my camera? But considering the poo I'm glad I have shoes on right now.

(beginning of giggles)

Please don't touch that! At least until I get a picture. And watch out for dog poo! So how was your day? Oh and yes I did get the e-mail but I think that question might be left over from lunch. And knowing me I already anwered it. I said LOOK OUT FOR THE POOP! Don't eat that!

(hysterical laughter) Yes you answered the question. (followed by more hysterical laughter)

And now I think I know your answer to my humor hunting at The Bowl. When you are looking for laughter you pretty much just call me, right? By the way, I didn't even have pants on this morning when I got your first e-mail about the inside out pants but I'm pretty sure my bra might be on backwards so that makes for about the same day.

Why do you have your brother's shoes on? I can't believe more people didn't know this was a daffodil! Please don't stomp the flowers.

Have I told you that you make my life seem normal?

Don't rub it in!

Love you!

Love you too. WATCH OUT FOR THE...I gotta go.

(hysterical laught.. "click")

Mom Tip #60: Embrace a Child's Notion of Diversity.

I'm sure you all saw the Presidential news conference Monday night - well, you did if you turned on any one of the major networks or news stations. We happened to turn it on just as it started and Marmoset had taken a seat next to me to mooch part of my dinner.

A little piece of critical backstory - her best friend is a 3 year old African American boy. His mom is one of my closest friends and she's already heard the story so I know she wasn't offended but very highly amused. His two older siblings are also close friends to my children and have spent many an afternoon here deconstructing the playroom. And of course Marmoset attends a very diverse Sunday School class as well.

As soon as she saw the President on TV she looked up at me and said, "K?"
No baby. That's not K. That's Mr. President.
"Mr. Pezzz-dint?"
Right! (that's a big word for a two year old!)
"Pezz-dink K?"
No baby. K isn't the President.
"Pezz-dint head. K head."
Well, yes. The President and K both have heads.
"Pezz-dint nose. K nose."
That's right too.
"Pezz-dint ears. K ears."
Yup.
"Pezz-dint no hab peet (feet). K peet."

You have to love a toddler's concept of object permanance. If you can't see it, it isn't there. So Mr Pezz-dint didn't have feet since she couldn't see them. And since she knows that K has feet that must be what makes him NOT be the pezz-dint.

Wouldn't it be great if we could only tell each other apart by differences like our shirts rather than the differences over our skin?

Mom Tip #59: Silence is NOT Golden!

It is golden, coated in platinum, studded with diamonds and dipped in chocolate!

Someone asked the question a while back "What do you wish someone had told you before you became a mom?" I wish they would have told me that there would never be a quiet moment ever again. I would have stopped talking and just sat and listened to silence and memorized what it sounds like.

We just got back from taking our bachelor neighbor to the train to go to the airport. Understand that this is not the first time Neighbor has ridden in the livestock trailer but it is the first time he has done this long of a stretch. Something tells me he won't be volunteering for carpool duty anytime soon.

Marmoset started the whole ride with, "C'mon R! C'mon!" That would be my fault. When I'm ready to go somewhere and the exhibits are loaded I want everyone in and moving out of the garage.

Then Rhino started to tell us a story about a "Heycocter (helicopter)" that was delivering wood to our house for a doghouse for the dog. The dog only weighs 20 lbs. I'm wondering just what kind of house he is building that calls for a helicopter to deliver the wood! I might move in with the dog.

Then we snagged the Orangutan and got the run down of her day for another 15 minutes. Then Orangutan and Rhino took turns playing "repeat after me" with Marmoset under the guise of "teaching her how to talk." Trust me! She doesn't need any lessons!

By the time we got to the train station Neighbor was so ready to get out of the van that he had his door open before I stopped. No one has ever been seen fleeing from my vehicle before. I wish I would have had the video camera. Large male with over stuffed garment back and carry on duffel seen fleeing minivan with his hands over his ears screaming , "Make it stop!!" He might have been crying but his face was a bit of a blur so I can't be sure about it.

As if I hadn't had enough I decided that a trip to the grocery store was necessary. And of course got commentary on why every sweet and salty anything was a good idea for snack today. I think the bag boy who helped us out to the car may have had the same face as Neighbor but again, he was moving too fast to tell.

Even now as I sit here in my office (which adjoins the playroom) there is a cacophony of ruckus over who is eating who's snack and who wants to watch which cartoons. And before you mention how wonderful bedtime is, refer to Rhino's Sleeping Standoff. They aren't even quiet then!

Another Word from the Livestock Trailer

Once again I hear the best stuff when I'm away from the computer and have to try to remember it until I can get home. This is almost all Rhino. He's a piece of work!

R: That's not Mo. She doesn't have a little head. Maxy has a little head. Meghan has a little head. Bentley has a big head. Mo has a big head.
ZK: What are you talking about?!?!
R: Heads! (duh Mom!) You have a big head.
ZK: What about you? Do you have a big head?
R: Well, yeah! (another duh!) And so does Mo and Meghan and...
ZK: Wait a minute. Didn't you just say Meghan has a little head?
R: You're not listening Mom! Meghan has a little head and Mo has a big head.
ZK: What about Daddy?
R: Daddy has a big head and I'm done.

Well, that settles that! I didn't figure out until about five minutes later that he was watching the other kids coming out of the school for the carpool line. It's a wonder all those "big heads" fit in the livestock trailer!

Take a Ride in the Livestock Trailer!

We went to pick Orangutan up from O.A.T. today and it was business as usual until we were on our way home.

O: Hey Mom! Do you know what we did at school today? We were working on feeling and hearing!
ZK (that's Me!): So you are talking about your senses this week huh?
O: Yup! I was in Ms. S's group and we were working on hearing. So we listened to pennies and paperclips and blocks and all kinds of stuff.
ZK: Wow! That sounds like it was a lot of fun! So did you drop them or bang them together or what?
O: No they were in boxes and we shook them and had to figure them out by their sounds.
ZK: That's really neat Mo!
O: Do you know which one didn't make any noise?
ZK: No which one? (Please note that I am thinking maybe the teachers put cotton balls in one!)
O: The gummi worm one! But it wasn't one of our gummi worms like we eat. It was one like we went fishing with. But it wasn't making any noise because I think he was asleep. Or dead. He could have been dead.
R: (piping up from the back seat!) Mo! We don't squish worms or poop!
M: Oh no! Not dain! (that's "not again" to all non Marmoset speakers.)