Tag: Aidan

Adventures On the Toilet Train

To anyone who ever became frustrated with toilet training (or the thought of toilet training) a small boy: take heart…you are not alone.  In fact, to encourage you, I’ve made a list of some of the recent and real sentences that have come from my 3 year old son while in the other side of the bathroom door.

“Mom, I fell in the toilet again!”

“Mom, I didn’t fall in the toilet again!”

“Mom, I decided to put the toilet paper in the sink before I wiped myself.”

“Mom, why does it [body part] look like this?”

“Mom, I didn’t mean to pee all over the floor, really, I didn’t.”

“Mom, I stuck my foot in the toilet!”

“Mom, Karsten’s in here too and he just stuck his hand in the toilet!”

“Mom, yes, you really do have to take off all your clothes before you go potty.”

“Mom, I broke your magazine.”

“Mom, I broke the toilet seat.”

“Look Mom!  I can hold the toilet paper with my toes.”

On a completely unrelated note, I’m thinking of writing a post on bathroom cleaners.

 

The Cancer And The Cough

I’d like to take a moment and interrupt our continuous cancer coverage for a brief word on … pneumonia!

That’s right, there’s pneumonia in the house.  And actually, even though I said this was a non-cancer interlude, it does indeed have implications.  Aidan (who is such a strong little man about not feeling well) was tagged with a double-lung diagnosis at the beginning of the week and we are so thankful and exited to report that even with this infection in the house, immune-compromised Chase has sailed through without any extended hospital stays!

Sometimes, it takes pneumonia to remind me how blessed I am.

Here they are: The Cancer and The Cough – on a wheelchair at a clinic visit last month (would the responsible adult please step forward?)

 

A Very Lincoln Weekend

Mrs. Lincoln speaks about the Battle of Gettysburg

This weekend, we went to Civil War Days.

Actually, I need to back up a little on this story …

This winter, Darcy’s school presentation assignment over 7 weeks was to work on memorizing a famous historical speech (her history major mother did a little happy dance, I assure you).  We settled on The Gettysburg Address and got about 2/3 of the way through.  This piqued a Lincoln interest in her and so we decided after a very Lincoln-focused Winter/Spring that we needed to try out Civil War Days.

I can honestly say that I’ve never seen anything like it.  In case you didn’t know this about me already, be warned: I didn’t just major in history – I’m a complete history geek.  As we strolled through the town along the green, I shared the street with the likes of Generals Custer, Sherman, Jackson, and Lee.  I also saw Mr. Jefferson Davis, and of course, our beloved Mr. Lincoln.

It's Mr. Lincoln!

Our time culminated with a view of an afternoon battle between really amazing re-enactors (or re-en-actors? or reen-actors?) posing as Union and Confederate soldiers.  Very real.  In fact, so real that my kids at 6 and 3 only made it past the first few minutes of the full artillery before they were asking if we could please take it all in from a sizeable distance.  Judging by my son’s grimace, I equate “sizeable distance” to some 50 miles give or take.  Luckily, they were both comforted with some kettle corn – leading to a discussion of whether the kettle corn they were eating was actually around during the Civil War (uh, sorry, FDA…) .

Enjoying the porch on the Mitchell Manor

Such a fun afternoon … even the discussion on 150 year old kettle corn.  If you ever get the chance to re-live history this way, jump at it!

A Crafty Moment

I’m not a crafty or artistic person, but there are certain times that an idea comes into my head that I cannot banish until I’ve completely worked it out.

Such was the case this week …

Aidan has a little throw pillow he sleeps with, but it presents a constant problem for me.

1. It’s ugly (originally an old decorative pillow from my bed that ended up being neither decorative nor functional, it adorned the top of the wardrobe ’til Aidan found use for it)

2. It doesn’t have an easily removeable / child-proof slip cover for cleaning.

Up until now, I’ve always covered it with the smallest sham cover I had (which was still 6-8 inches too big all around … and made it even MORE ugly) just so that I had something to cover it, remove, and wash.  This week however, I had a the proverbial “light bulb”!

On my sewing desk, I have a couple badly ripped shirts of Bob’s just waiting to be repurposed.  They’re ripped in the arms (my husband; the Incredible Hulk) so the torso/body of the shirt is completely intact.  Not wanting to send my husband out to work like this … (not that Larry the Cable Guy doesn’t have his own unique style … I just don’t know if it would A) work on Bob, or B) work on Bob’s place of employment) …

…I decided that the shirt would make a great pillow cover.

 

 

I should warn you … I had no pattern, I measured no seams, and I don’t even think I cut in a straight line, so don’t look TOO closely. (actually, you can’t even if you wanted to because of the fuzzy/dark picture … oops … sorry)

*BEFORE*

Technical note: You may need to adjust the circumference of the torso, depending on the width of shirt and the size of your pillow.

*AFTER*

2nd Technical note: I made an executive decision (my favorite part about creating projects) to use the buttons to seal the cover and to leave the shirt in a very “shirt-like” (read: “authentic”) way even as a pillow case so that you can see part of a seam and a pocket:

Result? Aidan loves his old new “Daddy Pillow” and I finally have a good, removable, and washable cover! Added bonus: Aid always has something of his Dad’s very close to him.  Repurposing? Check.  Sentimental Value? Double Check.

The finished product: shown here with Charlie and “Didi” [pronounced “dih-dih”] … the other two items that never leave Aid’s side.

Final notes on the project: After over 24 hours of use, it has become apparent that having a pillow that buttons is also a really great way to teach your 2 year old how to button and un-button things (if they didn’t know already).  Apparently, it’s also an excellent place to store trains.  [True story: I found 3 small wooden trains and 4 pieces of track stuffed into it before his bedtime last night … now that would have made for a comfy sleep.]

Are you a repurposer of fabric?  I have a whole stack of items I’m just itching to find a use for — let me know some of your best / most fun projects!

Lost In Translation

The problem with even the most learned and verbose 2 year old seems to be the epic gap between what you tell them and what they repeat to others.  Clarification: NOT qualifying my son among the most learned … most verbose?  Possibly, but not so much with the smarts at this point.

Example of what I mean: an altercation between my boys this week …

Chase and Aidan had both been standing in the doorway of their room and Chase wanted to leave the room, so he did.  Problem: Chase is unaware of his size or anything he comes into contact with as he moves towards a desired goal.  Therefore, it’s not unusual for him to literally walk into, over, and practically through either of his siblings.  Aidan, perceiving a physical grievance (is accidental body slamming a grievance?) screamed and said “Chasey hit me!”.  Having seen the entire thing, I could vouch for Chase’s having NOT hit him, but rather steam-rolled him.  However, semantics are immaterial in the face of 2 year old indignation.  In other news, “hit” is apparently a term used for all physical contact.  [Must file that one away in the parental memory bank.]

Putting my best parental foot forward, I spoke with Aidan about how his brother hadn’t meant to hurt him…that it had been an accident, but that he could and should go and talk to Chase and tell him that he’d been hurt.  [Pretty sure all he heard was “Aidan, blah, blah, accident, blah, blah”] 

The next thing I heard was Aidan tracking Chase down in the living room for a brotherly confrontation: 

“Chase!”

“Uh!” [this is how Chase responds to Aidan screaming his name across the room – I think it’s a cross between “What do you want?” and “Really? If you wanted to talk to me, you’d come sit on me, so as you’re still across the room, I don’t care yet”]

“Chase, you are an accident!  Did you hear me, Chase?  You are an ACCIDENT!”

“Uh!”

Hmm, I think we missed something …

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