Imaginary Timer

I gave Audrina a time out for destruction. She created an imaginary timer for the occasion. She wound it up, set the time to the three minutes she usually gets, and insistently said "Tick. Tick. Tick." until she decided that it had been three minutes, at which point she made a very alarming noise and tried to get out. It had been thirty seconds. She was very adamant about the time being correct.

Cocoa Baby

Archer had his first real experience with chocolate ice cream today. He did a happy baby dance after the first bite, and I am pretty sure it is the cutest thing I have ever seen. When it was gone, he was very upset. He looked at me like I had taken away his favorite toy for no good reason. Oh boy.

Moving

I am really worried about the impending move. Audrina is obviously stressed out about the whole thing, not wanting to sleep in her own room, worried about what will change. I have talked to her about it a few times, but I think the change itself is what is really bothering her, and children are so adept at perceiving parental stress. Unfortunately, this expresses itself with more bad behavior instead of less.

Harley and I called the landlord to try to get a copy of the 2006 lease because we discovered he has an electric bill for that year pertaining to an apartment he had moved out of to move here. We had absolutely no idea! I am terrified that this will not be resolved in time to have our application accepted for the cute little house I am so in love with. Hopefully his former roommate and landlord will help pay for it if the dispute I filed with Experian does not turn out in our favor. This is a holiday weekend and I am not sure when we will find out. I do not want to pay it if it might mean losing money on a bill we do not owe. I wish I knew someone who could tell me my options more clearly. The people at MG&E are not helpful at all. They think their computer system to be infallible, and say I must provide the exact date (in 2006!) on which Harley called to cancel the service. What kind of company continues to bill a person for service despite nonpayment, and no response to letters, for eight months? I am going to file a complaint through the Better Business Bureau. I have heard of so many people with erroneous billing from them that I think this might turn out favorably. Crossing my fingers.

Borderline overweight? I do not think so.

I took Audrina to a WIC appointment this week. After the nurse put her information into the computer, a message popped up saying she was borderline overweight. I was afraid at first that I might be one of the many American parents who can not define a weight problem in their own children, but the nurse took the note off immediately and said that she was obviously nowhere near that particular category.

My sweet little girl loves to run around like a crazy person, and for a three and a half year old, has an alarming amount of muscle definition. Sometimes I worry that she does not eat enough, that she drinks too much milk instead of eating real meals. I have known so many people throughout my life who struggle with weight issues that I never force my children to eat full, adult meals. Audrina has a snack drawer full of oatmeals, dried fruits, nuts, pretzels, and healthy cereals or granola. The bottom drawer in the fridge is also full of children's snacks; string cheese, lunch meats, fresh fruits, veggies, yogurts. I make her smoothies almost every day to ensure she gets enough fruit. I did keep track of the calories one day, just to make sure she was getting enough to eat because she seems so thin compared to the other children, and it was about one and a half times the recommended amount. She grew two inches that month, so I thought it must be fine that she was eating more. I am so glad the nurse was able to tell me immediately that Audrina did not have an unhealthy weight. I think I am doing the right thing by my children, allowing them to decide when they are hungry rather than forcing a schedule. It would have broken my heart to know I was somehow hurting her health.

Give Peas A Chance

I hear that other parents have difficulty getting their children to eat vegetables, especially peas. I just got clobbered by both kids begging for mine. Peas, soy sauce, olive oil, and pepper. Getting climbed on, pouty faces on both sides. I feel that I must see what other parents call "peas."

"Squeezy Cheese"

In a desperate attempt to make Easy Cheese (yes, cheese in a can) worthier of the snack drawer, I decided to start using it to write alphabet letters on Audrina's plate. This plan backfired today when my darling three year old told me she needed more cheese or she would never learn all the letters. Small children are smarter than anyone but a parent will ever give them credit for, especially when it comes to tricking adults into extra treats.

I am really starting to think that nutrition labels need options for size groupings like the D&D books have. A halfling should never eat as much as a human, so by that logic, Audrina can have two big letters and one small letter of cheese a day. I would tell her this, but I fear that she will insist on being measured eight times a day.