Problem Solving 101

To all toddlers…..

Feeling thirsty?

Too small to pour yourself a drink of water?

Or, perhaps, you just ran out of cups…

Robert demonstrates the perfect solution….

Step 1: Obtain and insert straw

Step 2: Grasp straw firmly in hand – puckering up in preparation is key

Step 3: Drink away

Step 4: Smile for the Camera and congratulate you on a job well done!

Hints:  A chair with a booster seat strapped to it helps a lot.

Take advantage of the oportunity to blow copious bubbles after your drink – you’ll look so adorable your mom won’t tell you “no” & there’s a lid on the pitcher, so you won’t make mess (stay on her good side).

*Mom’s Note:

This happened this morning after breakfast. The girls had left the pitcher of water on the table, and Robert must have been thirsty. He’d snagged straws from various water bottles and stuck them into the pitcher spout. Paul found him, and called me down to take a look & to bring the camera. He was quite proud of himself, adorable little tyke. 😀

More Jacobisms, one Dadism, and James’ acrobatics

We were driving home from the Portland Children’s Museum on Saturday evening after attending the Andaluz Waterbirth Center potluck. I’m not quite sure how, but the topic of electricity came up. One of the kids asked if all the lights went out would our car lights go out too so we couldn’t see. We explained that they wouldn’t, but Jacob was worried now that the lights would all go out.

Finally Dad said, “Jacob, close your eyes.” He did and Dad exclaimed, “Power out!” Then he said, “Open you eyes.” Jacob once again obeyed. “Power on!” They did this a few more times – close eyes, power out, open eyes, power on.

Finally, after the third time or so, as he opened his eyes, Jacob exclaimes, “AWESOME!”

Our poor kids are going to be SO warped.

***

Jacob loves toast. He can put the bread in and push down the button and finds it absolutely facinating. The other day, while I was cleaning my office (a huge feat – it was more like excavating, really), the boys decided they needed toast. Did they ask me? Of course not! They just happily began to play with the toaster. Well, after a little while I realized I hadn’t seen the boys in about five minutes – bad news, especially where boys are concerned. I exited my office to investigate and smelled smoke. there was a haze hovering over the kitchen.

In I ran and discovered Jacob pushing the button down once again on an already thoroughly blackened piece of bread. I dived at the toaster with a resounding now! And popped it up again. Smoke roiled forth and as I pulled the hapless piece of toast from it’s death little waves of smoke wafted from is poor blackened being. Windows were thrown open and fans turned on, but I swear the house still smells smokey, and when I open certain cupboards they smell like they have a smoking habit.

I have to say, at least he didn’t set the toaster on fire like I did, once upon a time. (And I MUCH prefer smoke over mounds of brown sugar all over my living room – I had to shampoo the carpet a million times! Well, Paul did, I was too nautious after trying to vaccuum it all up with the shopvac.)

***
A couple weekends ago, Paul and I were ordering Chinese take out for our date since the kids were sick. He was reading over my shoulder and suddenly says. “Human beef?”

I blinked in astonishment. “What?”

“Oh, never mind, it says Hunan beef.”

I wonder if I should worry about him turning canibal on me… hee hee

***
James is our little gymnast. He has great capabilities. I first began to notice his major gymnast talents when we had the brown sugar issue in the living room and all the cushions were off of the couch. Since, without the cushions, it was lower to the ground he would balance on the edge and summersault off and onto the floor. Now he does it with the cushions on.

Then, the other day, Paul caught him balanced precariously between two bar stools. We have bar stools at our counter so the kids can sit while we cook and work and check out what we are doing. Anyway, he had lined up two bar stools and climbed up, balancing betwen them with one leg on the one, and the other leg on the other, doing the splits. He just sat there, hanging between the two bar stools in the splits until he decided he was done and couldn’t quite figure out how to get down.

Later that day we caught him balanced on the arm of the rocking chair. He was standing on the arm and holding onto the back with one hand – the other straight out in the air and rocking back and forth – acrobatic training anyone? We gave him the whole, that is not proper rocking chair behaviour lecture. I think it will have to be repeated in the future.

He climbs everything, but not only does he climb it, he jumps off of it. He prefers if you are there to catch him, but he’ll jump regardless. I’d consider putting him into gymnastics, but the consequences could be ghastly. lol! I can see him now, swinging from the lights and ceiling fans in an attempt to mimic the high bar or something.

I just love my boys. 😀

Tsunami Strikes

I wasn’t kidding when I mentioned that Jacob lives up to the word on the back of his shirt. We’ve often joked about nicknaming him Tsunami. 🙂 Well here are two Tsunami stories:

I was down to the wire. If I had any hope of getting dinner ready on time I had to get things started now.  I had decided on a delicious dinner of Russian chicken served over rice.  I grabbed the rice cooker, put in my rice and water and turned the cooker on. I went on about my business helping kids with homework and chores while I waited for the chicken to finish thawing. 

It wasn’t long after when I smelled something that resembled burning rubber.  Groaning to myself, I was sure it had to be something wrong with the vacuum Dorothy was using, and I walked into the living room.  As soon as I walked in, the smell vanished. Puzzled I went back towards the kitchen.  The smell was even stronger now.  I approached the rice cooker, and with each step the smell increased. I was becoming increasingly worried, after all, the rice cooker is fairly new and was a special present from my husband. I opened the lide to the cooker and and the burnt rubber smell overwhelmed me. I yanked out the plug and pulled out the metal bowl with the water and rice in it.  My nose took a brutal beating and my children fled the kitchen holding their breath.

I peered down into the bottom of the cooker and spied the culprit – half hiding beneath the center heating element was a partially melted rubber eraser.  I managed to extricate it with a pair of tongs. Thankfully no damage was done to my dependable rice cooker. And, my little Tsunami confessed during interrogation.

***

We have been working with Jacob on becoming potty trained – he currently wears pull-ups during the day to make it easier for him to go potty. The one draw back is that he will often discard his pull-up into the bathroom garbage. Even though it is only just wet (and not stinky) the smell can still pack a wallop, so we empty it frequently. 

Tonight was garbage night, so Paul was making the rounds through the house gathering everything up to haul outside. When he got to the kids’ bathroom the smell was especially strong. He went to empty the garbage can and saw about half an inch of pee in the bottom of the can.  Apparantly Jacob has been peeing in the garbage rather than the toilet.

*Sigh* Such a boy thing to do…

My lovely little Tsunami.