You know how sometimes, you find yourself thinking about something, and you realise you don't know how you got there from what you had been thinking about?
Rest-time. A sound like a chainsaw starts up. Of course. They couldn't do it when the kids were awake. S and I go to have a look at what it is. Yep, chainsaw. Cutting up some of the wood from the tree stump they'd cut down.
I go back over to Mark, who tells me: "If there's one ring, the tree's one year old. If there's two rings, the tree's two years old. If there's three rings..."
Amazing.
Sunday, May 28, 2006
The complicated web of friendships
Last week, for some reason everyone wanted to sit next to Jessie. We had about five three- and four-year-old girls fighting over Jessie at every single meal.
Mark and Damon together are pretty smart. Mark being older and wiser is a good influence on Damon, who is prone to silliness and easily led that way, in my opinion. However, Mark's eating habits are questionable at best, although he has been improving heaps since we've had the handling of it. Still prone to loudly telling us what he doesn't like (which is 'most everything) so we don't want Damon next to him at mealtimes lest he pick up on these unfortunate tendancies.
Jack and Damon are increasingly hanging out together. Jack's parentes aren't thrilled about this as apparantly Jack has picked up a habit from Damon of calling people "silly dragons," something I've never actually heard Damon say, but we're monitoring it. However, it would be good for Jack to be hanging out with the older boys some more instead of constantly with his trains (which are now no longer there anyway). And Damon with Jack and without Mark can be quite silly, excitable, and annoying.
Just on a side note, Jack has picked up the D-word from somewhere:
Me, Damon and Eleanor? Molly? someone anyway were doing a puzzle when Jack comes up with a cheeky little grin on his face:
"What doing little dragons?"
And Mark is moving up anyway. *Sniff* I'll miss him.
Mark and Damon together are pretty smart. Mark being older and wiser is a good influence on Damon, who is prone to silliness and easily led that way, in my opinion. However, Mark's eating habits are questionable at best, although he has been improving heaps since we've had the handling of it. Still prone to loudly telling us what he doesn't like (which is 'most everything) so we don't want Damon next to him at mealtimes lest he pick up on these unfortunate tendancies.
Jack and Damon are increasingly hanging out together. Jack's parentes aren't thrilled about this as apparantly Jack has picked up a habit from Damon of calling people "silly dragons," something I've never actually heard Damon say, but we're monitoring it. However, it would be good for Jack to be hanging out with the older boys some more instead of constantly with his trains (which are now no longer there anyway). And Damon with Jack and without Mark can be quite silly, excitable, and annoying.
Just on a side note, Jack has picked up the D-word from somewhere:
Me, Damon and Eleanor? Molly? someone anyway were doing a puzzle when Jack comes up with a cheeky little grin on his face:
"What doing little dragons?"
And Mark is moving up anyway. *Sniff* I'll miss him.
J&H
Hugo has really been so much better at lunchtimes lately. Instead of getting lunch and either throwing it or taking it straight to the bin, he'll take it to the table, take two bites, then go to the bin. Progress right?
Well progress took a backwards step last week.
We were having lamb and potatoes and gravy for lunch. The gravy was in one of our two water jugs. Therefore it must be something to drink, and in Jack's estimation, was chocolate. What a disappointment it must have been to him.
Even more so to Hugo, who couldn't have any of it. "More, more," he asked shoving his cup. The water jug when offered was shoved at, clearly we weren't paying attention. This ended with two cups flung across the room, and S rocking him forcefully to sleep cos I was being too nice to him. Just cos I understand what he wanted.
PS. Goo is now dairy, gluten and soy free. Poor kid.
Well progress took a backwards step last week.
We were having lamb and potatoes and gravy for lunch. The gravy was in one of our two water jugs. Therefore it must be something to drink, and in Jack's estimation, was chocolate. What a disappointment it must have been to him.
Even more so to Hugo, who couldn't have any of it. "More, more," he asked shoving his cup. The water jug when offered was shoved at, clearly we weren't paying attention. This ended with two cups flung across the room, and S rocking him forcefully to sleep cos I was being too nice to him. Just cos I understand what he wanted.
PS. Goo is now dairy, gluten and soy free. Poor kid.
More Sage Advice
I had my left elbow bandaged following a slight mishap with a bike, and consequently had to endure about seven thousand "What happend?"s.
Mark: "What happened?"
Me: "I have a sore on my elbow."
Mark: "Why?"
Me: "I fell off my bike."
Mark: "You need to be careful."
Gee thanks.
Mark: "What happened?"
Me: "I have a sore on my elbow."
Mark: "Why?"
Me: "I fell off my bike."
Mark: "You need to be careful."
Gee thanks.
Saturday, May 13, 2006
I Can Sign A Rainbow
My signing class starts this Monday.
T and everyone else has been going for four weeks so far, but I couldn't make it to the Wednesday class. They're all addicted to the signing thing now, even the people you wouldn't expect to be. The instructor must be pretty damn good.
T's been giving me updates every Thursday morning, so I'll be all prepared on Monday. Then we can start her revision every Tuesday after my classes. Hopefully this won't just be a fad.
T and everyone else has been going for four weeks so far, but I couldn't make it to the Wednesday class. They're all addicted to the signing thing now, even the people you wouldn't expect to be. The instructor must be pretty damn good.
T's been giving me updates every Thursday morning, so I'll be all prepared on Monday. Then we can start her revision every Tuesday after my classes. Hopefully this won't just be a fad.
H.U.G.O.
Thought it was about time for a Hugo update.
Especially since most of my Jack-and-Hugo-stories have been about Damon lately.
He thinks he's the luckiest kid in the world since his name starts with 8: "8.U.G.O. Hugo! J.A.C.K. Jack! Missy!" (As I'm trying to teach him to spell my name next!)
He's been mostly cheeky and energetic lately.
He reads a very wide range of books now, especially compared to when we started.
We're back on the fruit with morning and afternoon tea thing. So far he hasn't been very receptive. Although the one day we gave him banana he at least put it to his lips and, I think he too the tiniest bite. Progress.
I did make a mistake with him the other day. Since he'd been so good lately, I jumped him down instead of letting him go down the steps. Cracked it bigtime. Change in set routine is bad. Don't know why I thought he'd let me get away with it.
He is vocalising and signing a lot more, which means he's not as frustrated with us poor stupid people who didn't understand what he wanted.
He needs a haircut.
Especially since most of my Jack-and-Hugo-stories have been about Damon lately.
He thinks he's the luckiest kid in the world since his name starts with 8: "8.U.G.O. Hugo! J.A.C.K. Jack! Missy!" (As I'm trying to teach him to spell my name next!)
He's been mostly cheeky and energetic lately.
He reads a very wide range of books now, especially compared to when we started.
We're back on the fruit with morning and afternoon tea thing. So far he hasn't been very receptive. Although the one day we gave him banana he at least put it to his lips and, I think he too the tiniest bite. Progress.
I did make a mistake with him the other day. Since he'd been so good lately, I jumped him down instead of letting him go down the steps. Cracked it bigtime. Change in set routine is bad. Don't know why I thought he'd let me get away with it.
He is vocalising and signing a lot more, which means he's not as frustrated with us poor stupid people who didn't understand what he wanted.
He needs a haircut.
A Different Planet
So we're having afternoon snack, frozen yoghurt cones. I have the director at my table, which was packed full of kids, as well as two parents who'd come to pick up their kids but were hanging around til we'd finished eating. Slurping. Whatever.
They're all being impossibly loud, and I'm frantically trying to get cones for all of them, charm the parents, and look competant in front of the director, who wasn't helping a whole lot).Although she did later. Anyway... Out of nowhere:
Damon: Is the bunny asleep?
Me: ignoring him, while I concentrate on getting a cone to another hungry kid. No one else answers him, so I decide I should. I'm sorry Damon?
Damon: Why is that bunny asleep?
No it didn't make any more sense when I was actually paying attention. I look at Alison. Nope, I'm on my own with this one.
Me: What bunny is that Damon?
Damon: That one.
The box of cones had a picture of an ice cream in a cone on it. It had two eyes, a nose, and a mouth. No long ears. No whiskers. No fluffy tail. I swear, the kid lives on a different planet.
I just noticed that all my posts seem to be about Damon. This is both suprising and unsuprising. He really does sees things differently. He will grow up to be Gabriel, I'm sure. But I really thought Hugo would provide more food for thought.
They're all being impossibly loud, and I'm frantically trying to get cones for all of them, charm the parents, and look competant in front of the director, who wasn't helping a whole lot).Although she did later. Anyway... Out of nowhere:
Damon: Is the bunny asleep?
Me: ignoring him, while I concentrate on getting a cone to another hungry kid. No one else answers him, so I decide I should. I'm sorry Damon?
Damon: Why is that bunny asleep?
No it didn't make any more sense when I was actually paying attention. I look at Alison. Nope, I'm on my own with this one.
Me: What bunny is that Damon?
Damon: That one.
The box of cones had a picture of an ice cream in a cone on it. It had two eyes, a nose, and a mouth. No long ears. No whiskers. No fluffy tail. I swear, the kid lives on a different planet.
I just noticed that all my posts seem to be about Damon. This is both suprising and unsuprising. He really does sees things differently. He will grow up to be Gabriel, I'm sure. But I really thought Hugo would provide more food for thought.
Sage advice
So I'd scraped my knee open the night before. Some chick (who plays for Jets) rammed her finger in my eye, I fell over, hence the bandaid on my knee the next day at work.
Scene: Me, Mark, and Damon, sitting cross-legged on the floor, building vehicles.
M/D: What's that?
Me: It's a bandaid.
D: Why? [ok, this is a really bad habit he need to get out of.]
Me: I fell over yesterday and hurt my knee.
D: Why? [see what I mean?]
Me: Cos a girl poked her finger in my eye.
[ok i was fully expecting 'why?' in a whiny tone of voice, but he surprised me]
D: What kind of girl? [what kind of question is that?]
Me: A jet girl.
D: Orh. Was she in a jet? [points for not assuming]
Me: No she just had a jet on her shir.
D: Orh. Why?
Me: Well, I don't she meant to.
D: [very firmly] You should tell her to stop.
Me: I think it was an accident, Damon.
[this is where they both jumped in, to tell me how to be more assesertive and in control of my own life. they were so concerned that i might not know how to deal with this kind of situation]
M&D: No, you need to tell her STOP. You don't like it.*
*This is the phrase we encourage them to use when dealing with each other. Everyone does. Repeatedly. And usually at high volume. Sometime on the verge of tears. But their concern for me, that I might not have heard of this magic phrase, was touching.
Scene: Me, Mark, and Damon, sitting cross-legged on the floor, building vehicles.
M/D: What's that?
Me: It's a bandaid.
D: Why? [ok, this is a really bad habit he need to get out of.]
Me: I fell over yesterday and hurt my knee.
D: Why? [see what I mean?]
Me: Cos a girl poked her finger in my eye.
[ok i was fully expecting 'why?' in a whiny tone of voice, but he surprised me]
D: What kind of girl? [what kind of question is that?]
Me: A jet girl.
D: Orh. Was she in a jet? [points for not assuming]
Me: No she just had a jet on her shir.
D: Orh. Why?
Me: Well, I don't she meant to.
D: [very firmly] You should tell her to stop.
Me: I think it was an accident, Damon.
[this is where they both jumped in, to tell me how to be more assesertive and in control of my own life. they were so concerned that i might not know how to deal with this kind of situation]
M&D: No, you need to tell her STOP. You don't like it.*
*This is the phrase we encourage them to use when dealing with each other. Everyone does. Repeatedly. And usually at high volume. Sometime on the verge of tears. But their concern for me, that I might not have heard of this magic phrase, was touching.
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