I've been issued a challenge by Dj Kirkby over at her blog-- Exquisite Dreams. She writes a lovely blog and also has a second blog for her stories, Adventures of a Hippie Child. Her challenge is a music one. Go to http://www.popculturemadness.com/ and pick out music from the year you turned 18. Get all nostalgic and then write a post about how this music affected you. Most people probably wouldn't bother issuing a music challenge to a Deaf woman, but I am glad she did, because she remembered that I do like music. Once upon a time, I couldn't live without music, fell asleep to music and woke up to music. Here's my answer to the challenge...
I turned 18 Fall of 1991. I had just graduated in June and spent most of the summer performing with my High School Road Show. We danced, signed songs and performed skits to a wide range of audiences, and also gave drama-related sign language work-shops. At the end of the summer, late August, we went to Argentina, South America. We were there for a week and performed in a well-known theater and toured the country. One of the songs we did that was on the top charts at the time was Gonna Make You Sweat (Everybody Dance Now) by C&C Music Factory. I loved that song! We had a choreographer come in and teach us a dance and taught us the words and we'd practice for HOURS.
How do Deaf people learn words and dance to music? By cranking up the bass! We would dance on wood floors that were hollow and they carried the vibrations well, so we could feel the beat. Then we'd memorize the words and count beats between pauses in the lyrics. I could hear so I didn't have to count beats, but I memorized the words like everyone else. That was such a fun song to learn and I still remember most of the words and some of the dance moves.
That Fall, I didn't know what to do with myself... Go to College? What field of work did I want to do? I was completely lost. I spent a lot of time at home watching MTV and reading books. I was fortunate to have a Mom that wasn't nagging and encouraging me to find myself and figure out what I wanted to do. On weekends, I went to a dance club/bar in DC and I never had to show my ID. The bouncers assumed I was over 21 and slapped a wristband on me so I was able to score drinks. The bar was in a rough area of DC and when you got there, the parking, what little there was, was already packed and you had to park on the street. There would be plenty of rough looking black dudes saying they'd watch your car for 5 bucks. They weren't valets but you paid 'em, because if you didn't, your car ended up getting keyed, trashed or worse.
Once inside, there were 3 main areas-- on your left was a punk music area and everyone there was banging their heads to the music and pretty much slamming around. I didn't like going into that area. On the right, down a dark hall, with neon painted pictures that glowed under black-light, pass the bathrooms where no one cared if you were a male in the girl's bathroom or a female in the boy's bathroom, as long as you could get in to pee, was a huge dance room that played top hits, mixed songs and electronica music. This was where I hung out! There was a long bar on the left side of the room, an upper balcony that over looked the dance floor and on the right was an upstairs bar with tables for people that wanted to sit and drink. The third main area was outside and music was piped out from inside and there was a squared off sandbox for playing volleyball and sort of had a tiki bar feel to it. I would go out there if it got too hot inside.
We would drink and dance all night, all types of people sharing the dance floor. Fights would break out regularly, maybe a guy ogling another guy's girl, or gang rivalry... whatever the reason, big beefy bouncers were there with lightening speed to break up the fight and toss 'em out! I never felt like I shouldn't be there, I never felt in danger, but looking back, if Mom knew I was there, she would have freaked! One of the songs that always filled the up dance floor was Set Adrift On Memory Bliss by P.M. Dawn. The DJ mixed it up and made it last longer and it was a crowd pleaser. I could see people mouthing the words and arms waving in the air to the beat. Dancing was always fun for me, until there was an over-eager guy that wanted to get too close or he had more than two hands and it was difficult to keep him away from you. I remember once, there was a dude that I was dancing with and he pulled up my shirt and had it over my head so fast, I couldn't react quick enough. I pushed him away and moved closer to the friends I came with and kept my eye out for him.
The place is gone now. Too many complaints of fights and police being called over, too many underage kids getting drinks. The whole place went seedy and they finally closed it and bulldozed it down.
There was a vintage car show at the DC convention center and a car buff I knew wanted to go and asked me to come along. We took the subway and the closest stop was a couple blocks away. Since there was a big event going on, all kinds of vendors set up along the sidewalk and one of them was selling bootleg copies of music tapes. I had to stop and take a look. The one I bought was Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch with that song that always gets stuck in your head long after you hear it-- Good Vibrations. I wore that tape out! I had posters of Marky Mark in his Calvins on my bedroom wall and I loved that bad boy sneer he had in those pictures. I kept a diary and I even taped a ripped out magazine ad of Marky in there!
Everything I Do (I Do It For You) by Bryan Adams. Do I need to say more? When Robin Hood came out, I waited for the video (Movie theaters didn't have captions back then so most Deaf people waited for the video) and fell in love with both the movie and the song. One of the first CDs I bought was that album and on the back in the liner notes, there was a bit where if you sent in a request, they'd send you a lyric book. I sent for it and sure enough, I got it! I memorized just about every song on that album! I always liked it when albums would include the lyrics so Deaf people like me could know what I was listening to.
There was one group that I liked and all my friends thought I was so corny. But I bought the album and listened to it and fell in love with all the other stuff on it, too. I'm Too Sexy by Right Said Fred. I still listen to it and I still love it as much as I did then. It's just a fun album to listen to and every time I hear it, I can't help but smile and I start dancing. My girls look at me like I have a screw loose, but I don't care, I'm dancing anyway! They join me sooner or later and we all have a ball!
All these songs were top hits in 1991 and I loved them all, but the ones above are the ones I have personal memories attached to and whenever I hear them, on the radio, on TV or when I pop in the CD, it takes me back!
Justify My Love -Madonna
Love Will Never Do-- Janet Jackson (remember the video??)
I've Been Thinking About You-- Londonbeat
You're In Love -- Wilson Phillips
Baby Baby -- Amy Grant (I loved loved loved this one!)
More Than Words -- Extreme
Rush Rush -- Paula Abdul
Unbelieveable -- EMF
The Promise of a New Day -- Paula Abdul
I Adore Mi Amour -- Color Me Badd
Cream -- Prince (Before he was Formerly Known as Prince)
Black Or White -- Micheal Jackson
To Be With You-- Mr. Big
Save The Best For Last -- Vanessa Williams (this one gets stuck in my head sometimes)
Wednesday, June 20, 2007
Tuesday, June 19, 2007
Wet Cat
We had a summer storm today. Guess who got caught in the rain? Our cat, Charlie. Doesn't he look cute?
Monday, June 18, 2007
Kiddie Popsicles
Living in the mountains, far from heavily populated areas, many people here have wells and septic systems. Your home is pretty much self-sustaining with the exception of being connected to the Power and Phone Companies. There are homes up here that are not connected to anything and use generators and no phones at all (the heathens!).
If you have not tasted fresh mountain water from a well, you don't know what you are missing-- cold and crisp-tasting, no trace of chloride that city water has, just plain yummy! The downside to that is, when you want to fill up a kiddie pool with well water, be prepared to turn into an ice cube! The first time we filled a kiddie pool with water, we mistakenly thought we could dive (not literally!) right in. *GASP* Completely takes your breath away! Every nerve in your body is screaming, "Get out of the water NOW!" Your feet have gone numb! They are beyond numb and are now tingly, inching towards frostbite! Your skin has a bluish tinge to it. By the time you react and jump out of the pool, you can't move and must be laid out on a stretcher with heated blankets and hot cups of hot chocolate-- in 95 degree weather.
We have learned to fill up the pool the day before and let the water warm to air temperature and then our children don't become popsicles. They are beyond kiddie pool age now and are begging us to get one of those "portable" pools that are at least 3 feet deep or more. We are thinking about it, but will need to put aside some money every week to be able to get one. In the meantime, they are content to run about while Hubby aims the hose on them.
We made a grave error in judgement Sunday night. The children were playing outside most of the day and by bedtime, were quite filthy. Playing in the mud and cooking up mud pies will do that to kids. So Hubby had the idea to hose 'em down. Told them to strip naked and Hubby would rinse 'em. They'd run and shriek, dash away and come back for more. Even Youngest joined in the fun! I should have felt the water first. I should have brought Youngest into the house and plunked her into the bath.
When Youngest woke this morning, she had a runny nose and a raging fever. Poor thing. We knew right away it was from that cold mountain water. We feel terrible. I have been watching her all day, alternating between hot and cold, chills and sweats, dunking her in cool baths to bring down the fever. Poor thing was miserable, and when she is miserable, the other two pick up on it and become whiny and miserable, too. I was going to go to the food store today, I couldn't find my wallet. I became whiny and miserable. Hubby was happy to go to work I imagine, although I give him credit for offering to stay home from work. It was a whiny and miserable day.
If you ever make it out to the mountains and you are going to be using well water--- dunk a toe to test the waters, will ya?
If you have not tasted fresh mountain water from a well, you don't know what you are missing-- cold and crisp-tasting, no trace of chloride that city water has, just plain yummy! The downside to that is, when you want to fill up a kiddie pool with well water, be prepared to turn into an ice cube! The first time we filled a kiddie pool with water, we mistakenly thought we could dive (not literally!) right in. *GASP* Completely takes your breath away! Every nerve in your body is screaming, "Get out of the water NOW!" Your feet have gone numb! They are beyond numb and are now tingly, inching towards frostbite! Your skin has a bluish tinge to it. By the time you react and jump out of the pool, you can't move and must be laid out on a stretcher with heated blankets and hot cups of hot chocolate-- in 95 degree weather.
We have learned to fill up the pool the day before and let the water warm to air temperature and then our children don't become popsicles. They are beyond kiddie pool age now and are begging us to get one of those "portable" pools that are at least 3 feet deep or more. We are thinking about it, but will need to put aside some money every week to be able to get one. In the meantime, they are content to run about while Hubby aims the hose on them.
We made a grave error in judgement Sunday night. The children were playing outside most of the day and by bedtime, were quite filthy. Playing in the mud and cooking up mud pies will do that to kids. So Hubby had the idea to hose 'em down. Told them to strip naked and Hubby would rinse 'em. They'd run and shriek, dash away and come back for more. Even Youngest joined in the fun! I should have felt the water first. I should have brought Youngest into the house and plunked her into the bath.
When Youngest woke this morning, she had a runny nose and a raging fever. Poor thing. We knew right away it was from that cold mountain water. We feel terrible. I have been watching her all day, alternating between hot and cold, chills and sweats, dunking her in cool baths to bring down the fever. Poor thing was miserable, and when she is miserable, the other two pick up on it and become whiny and miserable, too. I was going to go to the food store today, I couldn't find my wallet. I became whiny and miserable. Hubby was happy to go to work I imagine, although I give him credit for offering to stay home from work. It was a whiny and miserable day.
If you ever make it out to the mountains and you are going to be using well water--- dunk a toe to test the waters, will ya?
Sunday, June 17, 2007
An Ode to Hubby
When Hubby and I were dating, then living together, we had a tendency to ask hard questions of one another. I suppose you could say we were trying to see what our limits were and where the boundaries lie. Make sure that we each knew what we were getting into before we tied the knot.
One day, we talked about the possibilities of children. He said he didn't really want any kids and I sorta, kinda felt the same way. I was of the mind that the world was horrible and how could anyone bring a child into this terrible place! We got married, had the honeymoon and settled into marriage happily. All around us, people would ask, "When are we going to have kids?" Then all our friends were having babies. It was unavoidable! Babies and children were everywhere!
I started feeling a little tug inside, I know I said I didn't want any kids, but I want HIS kid. All of a sudden, my point of view changed. Instead of fearing the terrible world and what it would do to my children, I thought I could raise my children to make the world better. I watched Hubby play with other people's kids and he was SO great at it! He would tussle and play, roll on the floor with them, make funny faces and sounds! I wanted him to do that to OUR kid. I brought up the subject of having a kid with him and he was surprisingly receptive to the idea while at the same time resistant. He had an irrational fear of us lugging around a moving truck of baby things when we would leave the house. A traveling nursery all packed into a huge diaper bag and taking forever to go somewhere. I had to remind him that I don't even carry a purse and when we go on overnight trips, when have I ever packed 426 suitcases full of just-in-case outfits and shoes? That isn't what convinced him-- it was the baby-making fun that did it!
As all new soon-to-be Fathers do, he was over-protective in every way. Wouldn't let me pick up a sack of potatoes. I couldn't let the cat sit on my growing tummy. Should I be drinking that? But when it came to sex, everything was OK, baby was fine! Although there was plenty of giggling, imagining the baby catching sight of a one-eyed snake!
He didn't really want to be in the Labor and Delivery room with me, he is sensitive to the sight of blood and gore. He was afraid he'd pass out and then doctors would be paying attention to him instead of me. He wanted nothing to do with cutting the umbilical cord, saying it was the doctor's job, not his. He thought it was over-rated, making daddies feel like part of the birth if they cut the cord. Hell, he helped make the baby, didn't he??? We watched a lot of 'Baby Story' on TV and it sort of prepared him for the birth of his own child.
After Oldest was born and we were home from the Hospital, I asked him what it was like, seeing me give birth. We didn't have a video or anyone snapping pictures so I only know what I saw from above, looking between my legs. He said he felt in awe, watching his child being born, but mostly, he felt sorry for my poor, stretched out coochie. He found it fascinating how I stretched and ripped and pushed that child out of me and then my body healed and shrunk and returned to normal.
Hubby was wonderful with Oldest. He burped her and changed her diapers, fell asleep holding her. It was as if he was always a Daddy. Now, with 3 daughters, I can't even begin to imagine him NOT being a daddy. He is great with the girls, plays with them, rolls on the floor with them. Tickle-fests and reads them stories. Tells them about his Navy days (the G-rated version). He melts in the middle of scolding them, when they smile and flutter their eyelashes. He puts them to bed when he is home at nights and tells them made-up stories, says a prayer and kisses them on their cheeks.
He tells me that they aren't allowed to date until they are 35, he is going to invest in a triple barrel shotgun, and create a 100 page questionnaire for boys that want to date our daughters. Take fingerprints, mug shuts and the kind of car; make, model, and license plate number. He is going to start digging a moat and should be finished by the time Oldest is ready to date.
I love Hubby with all my heart and soul. He is my best friend. He is a terrific Father. He is a Daddy. Happy Father's Day, my love.
One day, we talked about the possibilities of children. He said he didn't really want any kids and I sorta, kinda felt the same way. I was of the mind that the world was horrible and how could anyone bring a child into this terrible place! We got married, had the honeymoon and settled into marriage happily. All around us, people would ask, "When are we going to have kids?" Then all our friends were having babies. It was unavoidable! Babies and children were everywhere!
I started feeling a little tug inside, I know I said I didn't want any kids, but I want HIS kid. All of a sudden, my point of view changed. Instead of fearing the terrible world and what it would do to my children, I thought I could raise my children to make the world better. I watched Hubby play with other people's kids and he was SO great at it! He would tussle and play, roll on the floor with them, make funny faces and sounds! I wanted him to do that to OUR kid. I brought up the subject of having a kid with him and he was surprisingly receptive to the idea while at the same time resistant. He had an irrational fear of us lugging around a moving truck of baby things when we would leave the house. A traveling nursery all packed into a huge diaper bag and taking forever to go somewhere. I had to remind him that I don't even carry a purse and when we go on overnight trips, when have I ever packed 426 suitcases full of just-in-case outfits and shoes? That isn't what convinced him-- it was the baby-making fun that did it!
As all new soon-to-be Fathers do, he was over-protective in every way. Wouldn't let me pick up a sack of potatoes. I couldn't let the cat sit on my growing tummy. Should I be drinking that? But when it came to sex, everything was OK, baby was fine! Although there was plenty of giggling, imagining the baby catching sight of a one-eyed snake!
He didn't really want to be in the Labor and Delivery room with me, he is sensitive to the sight of blood and gore. He was afraid he'd pass out and then doctors would be paying attention to him instead of me. He wanted nothing to do with cutting the umbilical cord, saying it was the doctor's job, not his. He thought it was over-rated, making daddies feel like part of the birth if they cut the cord. Hell, he helped make the baby, didn't he??? We watched a lot of 'Baby Story' on TV and it sort of prepared him for the birth of his own child.
After Oldest was born and we were home from the Hospital, I asked him what it was like, seeing me give birth. We didn't have a video or anyone snapping pictures so I only know what I saw from above, looking between my legs. He said he felt in awe, watching his child being born, but mostly, he felt sorry for my poor, stretched out coochie. He found it fascinating how I stretched and ripped and pushed that child out of me and then my body healed and shrunk and returned to normal.
Hubby was wonderful with Oldest. He burped her and changed her diapers, fell asleep holding her. It was as if he was always a Daddy. Now, with 3 daughters, I can't even begin to imagine him NOT being a daddy. He is great with the girls, plays with them, rolls on the floor with them. Tickle-fests and reads them stories. Tells them about his Navy days (the G-rated version). He melts in the middle of scolding them, when they smile and flutter their eyelashes. He puts them to bed when he is home at nights and tells them made-up stories, says a prayer and kisses them on their cheeks.
He tells me that they aren't allowed to date until they are 35, he is going to invest in a triple barrel shotgun, and create a 100 page questionnaire for boys that want to date our daughters. Take fingerprints, mug shuts and the kind of car; make, model, and license plate number. He is going to start digging a moat and should be finished by the time Oldest is ready to date.
I love Hubby with all my heart and soul. He is my best friend. He is a terrific Father. He is a Daddy. Happy Father's Day, my love.
Saturday, June 16, 2007
No Money, No Fun??
We are making this weekend a 'stay around the house weekend'. In other words, we're broke and we can't afford to do anything else! As a 1-income family, those are the choices we have made for ourselves. For me to stay home and raise our girls and for Hubby to be the sole bread-winner. We may not have a whole lot of money, but we have a whole lot of other stuff to more than make up for it.
There are times I have to sacrifice something I want, to make sure I can get the things we need. But you know what? When I wait until we have extra money to get IT, I find that by then, I don't want IT anymore. A lot of things that people purchase are 'impulse buys'. I have had more than my share of those when I worked at the post office. We made so many impulse buys that we put us in debt with the credit card companies. After I quit, we cut up the credit cards and decided not to use them anymore. We tried and tried to pay down the debt, but with the high interest on them, it was nearly impossible. When we sold our old house and made a profit, the first thing we did was pay off 95% of the credit cards. The other 5% was a small, low interest card that we wanted to keep for emergencies and we have since paid down most of the debt on it.
Now, living on the income we get from Hubby's job, and the money we make from selling items on eBay, we are doing alright. We have our days where we can't spend a dime because we don't have a dime to spare, and then we get some extra cash and we save them for rainy days. It has really helped us to see what is important and what we can do without. Pricey brand name clothing? Foo! Who needs to pay $50 for a shirt when I can pick up a perfectly nice Ralph Lauren Polo shirt at the Goodwill for $5 (no kidding! I really did!). Eating out 3 or 4 times a week? Foo! I prefer to know exactly what is in the food I eat and I can't see paying $8.00 for a plate of pasta when I can make a whole meal for $8.00! Expensive toys for the children? I used to buy everything brand new when we first had Oldest, but after spending $75.00 for a saucer and then seeing the exact same saucer at a children's consignment shop for $25, I had a major wake-up call. There are very few toys that I buy new and those are mostly for sanitary reasons-- talking, plush Care Bears can't really be washed and who knows what baby drooled all over it?
It helps that Hubby and I are both yard sale connoisseurs and we love digging up a good bargain. Lots of times I find something for cheap and I re-sell it on eBay and make a nice profit on it. Once, we went to a barn yard sale and they had all kinds of goodies. I had a big pile and when I was ready to pay, there was a pile of stuff on the ground near the table where you pay. A shiny metal canister set caught my eye and I asked about it. The lady shrugged at it and said it was junk. I asked if I could have it and she said 50 cents. Turns out it was a vintage aluminum grease canister and matching salt and pepper shakers with it's original label in the original, tattered plastic bag. I cleaned it up a little, posted it on eBay and it sold for over $30!!
Hubby likes to imagine those people at the yard sale snickering to themselves, "Those suckers! They bought our trash for 50 cents!" Who's laughing now?
A friend of mine also runs a children's consignment shop and I sell a lot of my girl's outgrown clothes and toys through her. I volunteer and work with her and in return, she gives me the full profit on my sold items instead of the customary 50%. I will also go to yard sales and find toys for 50 cents and turn around and sell them with her for $25 or more. She does her sales twice a year, Spring and Fall, for about 6 weeks at a time. I can take my kids with me when I volunteer and it is a nice break from my usual stay at home routine. I like to think that Hubby and I have all kinds of resources to make money if we needed to.
So while I am a little bit disappointed that we can't afford to go yard sale-ing or take a drive up to anywhere-but-here, we had lots of fun at home. We spent the morning after breakfast picking mulberries and blackberries, then worked in the garden a little. Took a break for lunch, then it was back outside to cut some trees down. We put the girls to work hauling the cut branches to the burn pile and we promised roasted marshmallows on a stick when we burn our pile later on. We are trying to clear some trees for a bigger back yard and at the same time, we will use the cut trees for firewood this winter. Nothing goes to waste! Tomorrow will probably be more of the same, except we will let Hubby relax a little since it is Father's Day.
There are times I have to sacrifice something I want, to make sure I can get the things we need. But you know what? When I wait until we have extra money to get IT, I find that by then, I don't want IT anymore. A lot of things that people purchase are 'impulse buys'. I have had more than my share of those when I worked at the post office. We made so many impulse buys that we put us in debt with the credit card companies. After I quit, we cut up the credit cards and decided not to use them anymore. We tried and tried to pay down the debt, but with the high interest on them, it was nearly impossible. When we sold our old house and made a profit, the first thing we did was pay off 95% of the credit cards. The other 5% was a small, low interest card that we wanted to keep for emergencies and we have since paid down most of the debt on it.
Now, living on the income we get from Hubby's job, and the money we make from selling items on eBay, we are doing alright. We have our days where we can't spend a dime because we don't have a dime to spare, and then we get some extra cash and we save them for rainy days. It has really helped us to see what is important and what we can do without. Pricey brand name clothing? Foo! Who needs to pay $50 for a shirt when I can pick up a perfectly nice Ralph Lauren Polo shirt at the Goodwill for $5 (no kidding! I really did!). Eating out 3 or 4 times a week? Foo! I prefer to know exactly what is in the food I eat and I can't see paying $8.00 for a plate of pasta when I can make a whole meal for $8.00! Expensive toys for the children? I used to buy everything brand new when we first had Oldest, but after spending $75.00 for a saucer and then seeing the exact same saucer at a children's consignment shop for $25, I had a major wake-up call. There are very few toys that I buy new and those are mostly for sanitary reasons-- talking, plush Care Bears can't really be washed and who knows what baby drooled all over it?
It helps that Hubby and I are both yard sale connoisseurs and we love digging up a good bargain. Lots of times I find something for cheap and I re-sell it on eBay and make a nice profit on it. Once, we went to a barn yard sale and they had all kinds of goodies. I had a big pile and when I was ready to pay, there was a pile of stuff on the ground near the table where you pay. A shiny metal canister set caught my eye and I asked about it. The lady shrugged at it and said it was junk. I asked if I could have it and she said 50 cents. Turns out it was a vintage aluminum grease canister and matching salt and pepper shakers with it's original label in the original, tattered plastic bag. I cleaned it up a little, posted it on eBay and it sold for over $30!!
Hubby likes to imagine those people at the yard sale snickering to themselves, "Those suckers! They bought our trash for 50 cents!" Who's laughing now?
A friend of mine also runs a children's consignment shop and I sell a lot of my girl's outgrown clothes and toys through her. I volunteer and work with her and in return, she gives me the full profit on my sold items instead of the customary 50%. I will also go to yard sales and find toys for 50 cents and turn around and sell them with her for $25 or more. She does her sales twice a year, Spring and Fall, for about 6 weeks at a time. I can take my kids with me when I volunteer and it is a nice break from my usual stay at home routine. I like to think that Hubby and I have all kinds of resources to make money if we needed to.
So while I am a little bit disappointed that we can't afford to go yard sale-ing or take a drive up to anywhere-but-here, we had lots of fun at home. We spent the morning after breakfast picking mulberries and blackberries, then worked in the garden a little. Took a break for lunch, then it was back outside to cut some trees down. We put the girls to work hauling the cut branches to the burn pile and we promised roasted marshmallows on a stick when we burn our pile later on. We are trying to clear some trees for a bigger back yard and at the same time, we will use the cut trees for firewood this winter. Nothing goes to waste! Tomorrow will probably be more of the same, except we will let Hubby relax a little since it is Father's Day.
Thursday, June 14, 2007
Oops! She did it again!
Oldest did it again... She is doing things all by herself without asking first and I finally figured it out-- she waits until I am occupied with one of the other girls before she goes on her mission! Clever girl!
We have a few plants around the house and Oldest had been bugging me to help her plant her own plant. So last week, one of the plants I snipped off and set in water to grow roots was ready to be transplanted. I let her pick out a pot from the bunch I have and she saw where I kept the dirt when I went to get it. We planted it, watered it and she put in in the window, all proud of her new "baby".
Today, while I was busy bathing Middle after she had a poop accident in her underwear (not quite poopy trained), Oldest sees it as the perfect time to do something all by herself! She gets another pot, drags the bag of dirt out and takes a bag of seeds from my box of garden seeds and proceeded to plant some seeds. By the time I caught her, she was done and had just finished watering it. Want to know what she planted? Onions!
I explained again that I really wanted her to ask first before she does things on her own. I am proud that she wants to do all these things, that she feels capable and she actually knows how to do them. I just want her to let me know so I can supervise her. I would feel terrible if she did something without me knowing and if she got hurt, I wouldn't hear her cries. Between the chatter of the TV and the squeals of my other two, I would not hear Oldest if I wasn't nearby.
Before I put her to bed tonight, I sat next to her and we had a little talk. I told her how proud I was of her and that she was such a big girl now, but she still needs to ask for things first. Then I asked her some questions, pop quiz style-- What do you do if you are hungry? What do you do if you are thirsty? If you want to play outside, what do you do first? Ask Mom or Dad!
On a funny note, Hubby is a Navy man, as was his father and uncle. He was in the Navy for over 12 years before being honorably discharged and he speaks "Navy". I don't have much experience being around Military men except for what I see on TV and I know they tend to have a language of their own. It has rubbed off on my girls... I was scolding Middle and wagging my finger at her, when she pipes up, "Watch it with your finger there chief!" How can I stay mad after a line like that??? She is 3 1/2 and knows she was cute when she said it, too!
We have a few plants around the house and Oldest had been bugging me to help her plant her own plant. So last week, one of the plants I snipped off and set in water to grow roots was ready to be transplanted. I let her pick out a pot from the bunch I have and she saw where I kept the dirt when I went to get it. We planted it, watered it and she put in in the window, all proud of her new "baby".
Today, while I was busy bathing Middle after she had a poop accident in her underwear (not quite poopy trained), Oldest sees it as the perfect time to do something all by herself! She gets another pot, drags the bag of dirt out and takes a bag of seeds from my box of garden seeds and proceeded to plant some seeds. By the time I caught her, she was done and had just finished watering it. Want to know what she planted? Onions!
I explained again that I really wanted her to ask first before she does things on her own. I am proud that she wants to do all these things, that she feels capable and she actually knows how to do them. I just want her to let me know so I can supervise her. I would feel terrible if she did something without me knowing and if she got hurt, I wouldn't hear her cries. Between the chatter of the TV and the squeals of my other two, I would not hear Oldest if I wasn't nearby.
Before I put her to bed tonight, I sat next to her and we had a little talk. I told her how proud I was of her and that she was such a big girl now, but she still needs to ask for things first. Then I asked her some questions, pop quiz style-- What do you do if you are hungry? What do you do if you are thirsty? If you want to play outside, what do you do first? Ask Mom or Dad!
On a funny note, Hubby is a Navy man, as was his father and uncle. He was in the Navy for over 12 years before being honorably discharged and he speaks "Navy". I don't have much experience being around Military men except for what I see on TV and I know they tend to have a language of their own. It has rubbed off on my girls... I was scolding Middle and wagging my finger at her, when she pipes up, "Watch it with your finger there chief!" How can I stay mad after a line like that??? She is 3 1/2 and knows she was cute when she said it, too!
Wednesday, June 13, 2007
5 Going on 25
It seems like in the eight days since my Oldest's birthday, in which she turned "big 5" as she likes to say, she has undergone a complete personality change. Please tell me this is just a phase!
She is now jumping into the shower by herself and deciding that because she is 5, she can use Mommy's shampoo and conditioner. I'll catch her after she has already squirted half a bottle of shampoo down the drain and half a bottle of conditioner on her hair. I'm NOT kidding. She also thinks she is old enough to "mother" Middle and tells her to get in the tub and proceed to bathe her using a whole bottle of baby wash and flooding the bathroom floor. Youngest, meanwhile, slips on a puddle of water and bangs her head and runs to me crying, soaked to the skin and I run in to the bathroom, only to see Oldest as proud as she can be, giving Middle a bath. I have also caught her using my deodorant on her armpits, her legs and her tummy.
The other day, I walked in the kitchen and caught Oldest doing the dishes. We don't have a dishwasher (unless you count me) and have to do the dishes by hand. Oldest wants to do them so bad (let's see how she feels when I make her do it everyday when she is OLDER) and dragged a chair over to the sink, squirted a cup of dish soap on the sponge and started washing. All the dishes she washed have a layer of soap still on them and there is now water all over the counter, dripping onto the floor. I have recently discovered our kitchen floor is not even, because the water starts trickling to the other side of the room instead of puddling by the sink. She is covered up to her elbows in soap suds and the front of her shirt is soaked with water and soap.
This morning, Oldest woke me up a little earlier than I normally wake, and said she was hungry (maybe if she would eat all her dinner the night before, she wouldn't be so darn hungry in the morning!) and I told her I'd get up in a little bit. Hubby reported to me that he caught her in the kitchen with the frying pan on the stove and getting ready to crack some eggs.
I sat Oldest down today and explained to her that she STILL has to ask permission to do things and she can't just do things because she is "big 5". Shortly after that, while I was busy changing Youngest's poopy diaper, I walked in the kitchen and caught Oldest making a bowl of oatmeal. She dragged the chair to the pantry door to flip up the latch we have to lock the pantry door, got 2 packets of instant oatmeal, dragged the chair to the cupboard for the measuring cup and heated water in the microwave. Opened packets and half landed in the bowl and half landed on the counter. Beep! goes the microwave, she gets the hot water and proceeds to pour, stir, add sugar and consume entire contents of bowl in less than 5 minutes.
Oh God! While I DO encourage independence, this all seems a little early for a 5 year old. My life is now going to be spent keeping a closer eye on Oldest to make sure she doesn't get into something she shouldn't. Is this normal??? For those of you with kids older than mine, did yours do that when they turned 5?? Please, please, please tell me this is just a phase and she will revert to back to her old self again.
She is now jumping into the shower by herself and deciding that because she is 5, she can use Mommy's shampoo and conditioner. I'll catch her after she has already squirted half a bottle of shampoo down the drain and half a bottle of conditioner on her hair. I'm NOT kidding. She also thinks she is old enough to "mother" Middle and tells her to get in the tub and proceed to bathe her using a whole bottle of baby wash and flooding the bathroom floor. Youngest, meanwhile, slips on a puddle of water and bangs her head and runs to me crying, soaked to the skin and I run in to the bathroom, only to see Oldest as proud as she can be, giving Middle a bath. I have also caught her using my deodorant on her armpits, her legs and her tummy.
The other day, I walked in the kitchen and caught Oldest doing the dishes. We don't have a dishwasher (unless you count me) and have to do the dishes by hand. Oldest wants to do them so bad (let's see how she feels when I make her do it everyday when she is OLDER) and dragged a chair over to the sink, squirted a cup of dish soap on the sponge and started washing. All the dishes she washed have a layer of soap still on them and there is now water all over the counter, dripping onto the floor. I have recently discovered our kitchen floor is not even, because the water starts trickling to the other side of the room instead of puddling by the sink. She is covered up to her elbows in soap suds and the front of her shirt is soaked with water and soap.
This morning, Oldest woke me up a little earlier than I normally wake, and said she was hungry (maybe if she would eat all her dinner the night before, she wouldn't be so darn hungry in the morning!) and I told her I'd get up in a little bit. Hubby reported to me that he caught her in the kitchen with the frying pan on the stove and getting ready to crack some eggs.
I sat Oldest down today and explained to her that she STILL has to ask permission to do things and she can't just do things because she is "big 5". Shortly after that, while I was busy changing Youngest's poopy diaper, I walked in the kitchen and caught Oldest making a bowl of oatmeal. She dragged the chair to the pantry door to flip up the latch we have to lock the pantry door, got 2 packets of instant oatmeal, dragged the chair to the cupboard for the measuring cup and heated water in the microwave. Opened packets and half landed in the bowl and half landed on the counter. Beep! goes the microwave, she gets the hot water and proceeds to pour, stir, add sugar and consume entire contents of bowl in less than 5 minutes.
Oh God! While I DO encourage independence, this all seems a little early for a 5 year old. My life is now going to be spent keeping a closer eye on Oldest to make sure she doesn't get into something she shouldn't. Is this normal??? For those of you with kids older than mine, did yours do that when they turned 5?? Please, please, please tell me this is just a phase and she will revert to back to her old self again.
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