Lately I've been having a little problem getting myself to bed at a good hour. There's always "one last thing" I need to do before it's lights out. Luckily, on weekends, I have a bit more leeway for sleeping in, but everyone in my house knows I have a hard time getting out of bed in the mornings. So yesterday my 7-year-old, Neva, gave me the gears and told me I should go to bed by 10:30pm.
As I tucked her in to bed last night, she reminded me, "Make sure you go to bed at 10:30pm. You can go to bed between 10:30 and 10:50, but no later than 10:50." I thanked her, kissed her goodnight and told her I would do my best.
I thought I was doing well when I was in bed by 11:15pm -- later than Neva's instructions, but certainly earlier than recent nights. Still, I was very tired waking up this morning and as I laid in bed not wanting to get up, Neva, having heard how I disobeyed her instruction, came in to my bedroom and told me to come with her.
She had put sticky-notes everywhere -- on the fish tank, on my computer monitor, the dishwasher, the fridge and the kitchen counter. They all read: "Go to sleep at 10:30 - 10:50. Your in a bed mood."
I thanked her for taking such good care of me and asked, "You wrote bed mood. Did you mean bad mood?"
"No," she said, smiling, "You're in a bed mood, because you always want to be in bed when you shouldn't be."
Happy sweeping!
Kathleen Gunther
Editor, ContestHound.com
Tuesday, March 27, 2007
Thursday, March 22, 2007
Lunch and a Donut
I just came in from a lunch date. It's been a long time since this friend and I have had lunch together, just the two of us, without little kids around. And although my companion seemed more engrossed in her lunch than conversation with me, I didn't mind. We shared some stories, discussed a few plans for summer, and shared a chocolate glazed donut at the end of it all.
It was the best lunch date I've had in a long, long time. And I think she and I will have to do it more often -- maybe set a date once a month and stick to it. After all, it's not everyday I get to sit face-to-face with my 7-year-old and talk uninterrupted for almost an entire hour.
Thanks for having lunch with me, Neva. You made my day!
Happy sweeping!
Kathleen Gunther
Editor, ContestHound.com
It was the best lunch date I've had in a long, long time. And I think she and I will have to do it more often -- maybe set a date once a month and stick to it. After all, it's not everyday I get to sit face-to-face with my 7-year-old and talk uninterrupted for almost an entire hour.
Thanks for having lunch with me, Neva. You made my day!
Happy sweeping!
Kathleen Gunther
Editor, ContestHound.com
Tuesday, March 20, 2007
March Broke ...
For most of us here in North America, last week was March break, a week of holiday from school that many parents consider Hell Week. There are several different options of getting through hell ... I mean, March break. If you are in the group of parents that save vacation time for summer (or for days when your kids are at home from school sick), you must pay through the nose for a special day camp for your school-aged children.
If you take time off from work, you might fly off to sunnier climes in search of a much-needed break from the cold. Or perhaps you enjoy winter and take the opportunity to hit the slopes and enjoy the last of the snow. Either way, you're looking at inflated airfares and lift fees, and crowded airports, ski hills and Disney-like attractions.
If you stay at home with your kids, you try to fill their days with endless activity -- swimming or skating, gymnasiums, and pay-per-play centres. And did I mention the exorbitant prices?
Out of pure dedication to our readers and online visitors (or just downright stupidity), we opt to stay home with our kids and go nowhere, continuing our daily slog in a much noisier home. Unfortunately, the weather is usually decidedly grim and no one wants to play outside. And if it is warm or sunny, it means there is usually enough slush and mud to scare even the best laundress back into her home.
Our week was filled with "What can I do/eat/watch now?" and "Mom, I'm bored!" and "All my friends went away. Why can't we go somewhere for March break?" There was much sibling rivalry and the house was more of a minefield of toys than it was anything else. And I often felt like pulling my hair out.
But there were some fun moments too. Like the time Neva, 7 1/2, finally figured out how to get the cat to play with one of its toys. Or the afternoon all three kids spent more than an hour playing and giggling in the bathtub together. We did watch some fun new movies and our good friends had the kids over to play on two afternoons, giving Bob and me some kid-free work time.
So in the end, we did manage to make it through the kids' March break with almost all of our hair. But we do have a few more grey ones.
So, please keep patronizing our advertisers. I think next year we might be planning an over-priced vacation somewhere!
Happy sweeping!
Kathleen Gunther
Editor, ContestHound.com
If you take time off from work, you might fly off to sunnier climes in search of a much-needed break from the cold. Or perhaps you enjoy winter and take the opportunity to hit the slopes and enjoy the last of the snow. Either way, you're looking at inflated airfares and lift fees, and crowded airports, ski hills and Disney-like attractions.
If you stay at home with your kids, you try to fill their days with endless activity -- swimming or skating, gymnasiums, and pay-per-play centres. And did I mention the exorbitant prices?
Out of pure dedication to our readers and online visitors (or just downright stupidity), we opt to stay home with our kids and go nowhere, continuing our daily slog in a much noisier home. Unfortunately, the weather is usually decidedly grim and no one wants to play outside. And if it is warm or sunny, it means there is usually enough slush and mud to scare even the best laundress back into her home.
Our week was filled with "What can I do/eat/watch now?" and "Mom, I'm bored!" and "All my friends went away. Why can't we go somewhere for March break?" There was much sibling rivalry and the house was more of a minefield of toys than it was anything else. And I often felt like pulling my hair out.
But there were some fun moments too. Like the time Neva, 7 1/2, finally figured out how to get the cat to play with one of its toys. Or the afternoon all three kids spent more than an hour playing and giggling in the bathtub together. We did watch some fun new movies and our good friends had the kids over to play on two afternoons, giving Bob and me some kid-free work time.
So in the end, we did manage to make it through the kids' March break with almost all of our hair. But we do have a few more grey ones.
So, please keep patronizing our advertisers. I think next year we might be planning an over-priced vacation somewhere!
Happy sweeping!
Kathleen Gunther
Editor, ContestHound.com
Thursday, March 15, 2007
I Spy, With My Little Eye ...
This morning the kids and I were playing "I Spy". When playing with Willa, who is only 3 years old, you really have to be lax with the rules. She'll spy blue, for instance, but then, in the end, join in on guessing what she spied. "I know, I know!" she'll say. "Id it da blanket?"
Today we were playing "I Spy" with letters, as I often do with my 4 1/2-year-old, Milo, who is learning to read. Willa would just call out things she saw in the room, regardless of whether they started with the "spied" letter or not. When it was Willa's turn, she spied "tum-ting dat tart wit W". We all guessed "Willa", since that's the only word she knows that starts with W. We were wrong. After several failed attempts, she gave us a clue.
"It out-tide," she said as she gently wiggled her fingers in the air. "It da Wain!"
Well, what do you know? She got it wight!
Happy sweeping!
Kathleen Gunther
Editor, ContestHound.com
Today we were playing "I Spy" with letters, as I often do with my 4 1/2-year-old, Milo, who is learning to read. Willa would just call out things she saw in the room, regardless of whether they started with the "spied" letter or not. When it was Willa's turn, she spied "tum-ting dat tart wit W". We all guessed "Willa", since that's the only word she knows that starts with W. We were wrong. After several failed attempts, she gave us a clue.
"It out-tide," she said as she gently wiggled her fingers in the air. "It da Wain!"
Well, what do you know? She got it wight!
Happy sweeping!
Kathleen Gunther
Editor, ContestHound.com
Tuesday, March 13, 2007
Go Figaro ...
We all know the age old story about the child who receives the new toy and plays more with the box. Well it also applies, as I have discovered, to cats.
You have heard about our new four-legged feline, Figaro, who joined our family a month ago. Well, we decided it was high time to buy him something to play with. (Okay, okay, my olderst daughter Neva was driving me nuts asking every day when we were going to get him some toys. So I relented.)
We went to the big box pet store and each picked out something special for our furry friend. That same day our neighbour, who would have gladly taken Figaro in on that fateful day of his discovery in our shed had it not been for her own cat, came by with some gifts of her own. So Figaro now has two scratching toys with spring-mounted pom-poms on top, three balls, a furry creature-like thing, a squeaking feathered bird on a long elastic string and a pillow filled with catnip.
And what do I find him playing with every night? A 4-inch piece of yarn that fell off one of Neva's crafts.
Happy sweeping!
Kathleen Gunther
Editor, ContestHound.com
You have heard about our new four-legged feline, Figaro, who joined our family a month ago. Well, we decided it was high time to buy him something to play with. (Okay, okay, my olderst daughter Neva was driving me nuts asking every day when we were going to get him some toys. So I relented.)
We went to the big box pet store and each picked out something special for our furry friend. That same day our neighbour, who would have gladly taken Figaro in on that fateful day of his discovery in our shed had it not been for her own cat, came by with some gifts of her own. So Figaro now has two scratching toys with spring-mounted pom-poms on top, three balls, a furry creature-like thing, a squeaking feathered bird on a long elastic string and a pillow filled with catnip.
And what do I find him playing with every night? A 4-inch piece of yarn that fell off one of Neva's crafts.
Happy sweeping!
Kathleen Gunther
Editor, ContestHound.com
Thursday, March 08, 2007
The Pursuit of Happiness ...
Lately, our son Milo has been having some problems at school and more recently the misbehavior has been spilling over to home life. He has been pushing and hitting his little friends and last night he threw his dinner plate on the floor, something very out of character for him. At only 4 1/2 years old, it can be difficult for him to express his frustrations verbally and getting him to explain what happened to precipitate his actions can be even more difficult.
My husband Bob and I feel he may be the victim of some mild bullying from two older boys in the school yard, but in the meantime, we're trying to deal with his behavior at home and see where it's coming from.
Yesterday, after a particularly difficult morning, I sat down with Milo on his bed to talk about why he had just been in a time out.
"You know that Daddy and I love you very, very much. And it makes us sad to see you struggling. We just want to help you do well at school. We just want you to be happy."
"I am happy," he replied with a smile. "I'm happy that you said that."
And as my little boy and I shared a big hug I thought, maybe the solution isn't as complicated as we imagined.
Happy sweeping!
Kathleen Gunther
Editor, ContestHound.com
My husband Bob and I feel he may be the victim of some mild bullying from two older boys in the school yard, but in the meantime, we're trying to deal with his behavior at home and see where it's coming from.
Yesterday, after a particularly difficult morning, I sat down with Milo on his bed to talk about why he had just been in a time out.
"You know that Daddy and I love you very, very much. And it makes us sad to see you struggling. We just want to help you do well at school. We just want you to be happy."
"I am happy," he replied with a smile. "I'm happy that you said that."
And as my little boy and I shared a big hug I thought, maybe the solution isn't as complicated as we imagined.
Happy sweeping!
Kathleen Gunther
Editor, ContestHound.com
Tuesday, March 06, 2007
(Un)Interested Parties
Last week I told you about the stray cat we welcomed into our home. We had all his shots updated and have named him Figaro, so he's officially a part of our family now.
When we had him at the vet last week, she suggested we give him a bit of canned food in addition to the kibble. Willa, my 3-year-old daughter, was there when I first fed him the new food. 7 1/2-year-old Neva helped me the next time. It didn't occur to me to mention it to Milo, who, at 4 1/2, is relatively uninterested in the cat.
After the second day of wet food, as I was cleaning the litter box, I noticed two big clumps of food sitting in the litter. It was beyond me how it got there. Did the cat not like the food? Had he accidentally flung it, as cats sometimes do when eating? In any event, I moved his food dishes further away from the litter box and made a mental note to keep an eye on Figaro.
Later that day, Milo and I were in the bathroom where we keep the cat's food and litter box, when I mentioned I had to clean the box again. Matter-of-factly Milo said, "The cat poohed in his food dish."
"He what?" I asked, puzzled since the bowl was empty.
"He poohed in his food dish."
"And ... did you dump it in his litter box?" I asked as the mystery of the cat food suddenly became clear.
"Ya, I did! I cleaned it for him!"
Happy sweeping!
Kathleen Gunther
Editor, ContestHound.com
When we had him at the vet last week, she suggested we give him a bit of canned food in addition to the kibble. Willa, my 3-year-old daughter, was there when I first fed him the new food. 7 1/2-year-old Neva helped me the next time. It didn't occur to me to mention it to Milo, who, at 4 1/2, is relatively uninterested in the cat.
After the second day of wet food, as I was cleaning the litter box, I noticed two big clumps of food sitting in the litter. It was beyond me how it got there. Did the cat not like the food? Had he accidentally flung it, as cats sometimes do when eating? In any event, I moved his food dishes further away from the litter box and made a mental note to keep an eye on Figaro.
Later that day, Milo and I were in the bathroom where we keep the cat's food and litter box, when I mentioned I had to clean the box again. Matter-of-factly Milo said, "The cat poohed in his food dish."
"He what?" I asked, puzzled since the bowl was empty.
"He poohed in his food dish."
"And ... did you dump it in his litter box?" I asked as the mystery of the cat food suddenly became clear.
"Ya, I did! I cleaned it for him!"
Happy sweeping!
Kathleen Gunther
Editor, ContestHound.com
Thursday, March 01, 2007
Little Drummer Girl ...
My daughter Willa was using two wooden spoons to bang on a wooden chest we have in the laundry room, which is right next to our home office. You can imagine, at 3 years old, just how noisy she was. Several times we needed to ask her to take her drumming elsewhere because it was getting too loud, thanks to the addition of the clothes dryer to her "drum kit".
When it came time for me to get our oldest daughter from school, I quietly slipped my coat and boots on.
"Why you have your coat on, Momma?" Willa asked, glancing at me only briefly from her play.
I was running late so I vaguely replied, "Oh, I just need to go to the van for a minute."
"Why? Do you don't like my drummin'?"
Happy sweeping!
Kathleen Gunther
Editor, ContestHound.com
When it came time for me to get our oldest daughter from school, I quietly slipped my coat and boots on.
"Why you have your coat on, Momma?" Willa asked, glancing at me only briefly from her play.
I was running late so I vaguely replied, "Oh, I just need to go to the van for a minute."
"Why? Do you don't like my drummin'?"
Happy sweeping!
Kathleen Gunther
Editor, ContestHound.com
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