Jack's not playing... he's working!

The little ones were eating when Leesha got home from drama practice.  She noted (in a disappointed voice); "We're having burgers?"  I figured I ought to just get all the disappointment done at once, so said; "Yes.  Veggie burgers."  Her response was a pleasant surprise; "Yum!"


Maggie:
"Eddy-budy" = everybody or anybody
"goo-ga-wee eyes" = googly eyes
"Wes geddada heer" = Let's get out of here!
"moose-git" = music
"Igor" = Eeyore

I told Jack that we'd be seeing Simon and Smith.  "Simon!  I love him!"  Later, when the anticipation was keeping him from falling asleep; "I love Simon, that's why I'm going to be nice to him.  (Or was it; ".. won't be mean to him."?)

Jack is hiding his brand new Angry Bird.  He tells Maggie not to watch.  She goes into another room.  Maggie: "Eight, nine, eight.  He come!"

Maggie stated one day; "I pray to God.  Dear God, please ....."

Maggie: "I got oweee.  Doctor shoot it."

"Maggie, where's Grandpa David?"  "Gwapa David at Inee-a."  Or "Gwapa David in-Inee-a."

Jack created a new game ..... Maggie is the "bridge" between the couches and he sends his cards zooming under her legs.  She was having fun just being a pawn in his game.  After a few minutes, I suggested they switch places, and it continued to go well.  I love it when they cooperate.

"Wookit my arms.  Are bwoken."
"I wanna nap in your room.  Wif Daddy.  Wike Gwapa David."

Mommy Rantings

From April this year, just not posted.  I'm cleaning out the "drafts" folder.

Every few weeks, I go through a very selfish phase where I feel overwhelmed, overworked and under-appreciated.

I'm in that week now.

There are so many things I'd like to do -

• figure out how we're going to spend our tax return
• draw up plans for the basement bedroom(s)
• figure out what furniture will go where, and what we'll need once we have a bedroom or bedrooms in the basement and the nursery can become an office/classroom
• continue my "What's the Willis Household Eating Now" blog
• do more schoolwork with Jack
• play with the kids
• read with the kids
• talk to the kids
• plan the menus
• pay the bills (okay, so I don't really want to do that, but I need to do that)
• rent a car for our trip
• write out directions for Grandma and Grandpa Willis when they watch our kids during our trip
• figure out who is going to clean the house before our trip
• get the furniture cleaned
• somehow tackle the remaining work in the bathroom
• and then there's that never-ending pile of laundry and dishes

- just to mention a few.

So, as I was thinking about this the other day on my drive to work, and wishing I had more time, I realized some things.

I'm sure there's enough time, it's a lack of desire to tackle the "to do" list when things are settled enough to allow coherent thought.

And for whatever reason, my thoughts turned to the lovely old houses we have around here in St. Paul which have three season front and back porches. Many of these porches are full of boxes, and miscellaneous stuff. Due to all this "stuff" the owners really can't enjoy the porches for what I can only assume was their intended purpose - a place to relax and enjoy the weather without the bugs.

My analogy: I won't enjoy the time I do have because of all of the "stuff" I allow to sit around claiming it needs to be done. I keep a "to do" list that keeps me from enjoying life more, all in the name of "gittin 'er done".

You see, I'd say that save for some memorabilia, if we don't need it, let's get rid of it - except for when it comes to my "to do" list.

Maybe it boils down to this; I spend a lot of time doing things that are necessary (at least on some level), and manage to avoid those other "to do" items because they're not as urgent as say, getting groceries or putting dinner on the table.

Some new, some old ...

Maggie to Jack: "I'm upset."

Upon discovering the small snowman on the "Place" tag on her pajamas, Maggie announces; "I got 'no' on my man!" ('I got snow on my man' or 'I have a snowman')

Jack: "I want Leesha to move to another house so we can get a different big sister."

"Some day I want you to sell Maggie."

Leesha was going to vacuum, starting in the basement. She plugged the vacuum cleaner in, assuming it was off. To her surprise, it turned on. She quickly turned it off, and shouted (somewhat angrily) "Who left the vacuum on?" With hardly any pause, from upstairs, Maggie responded; "Jack an' Maggie!" Jeffry and I laughed heartily.

The other morning at church, Maggie had to go into the "Frog" room instead of her usual "Fish" room. She still mispronounces "s" for "f". I was questioning her about this merely for the amusement of hearing her saying; "I not a swog, I am a swish."

Jack to Maggie: "You're lying! You're a liar. I'm a truther."

Maggie: "Owee owee owee tchuu ku head"

At dinner one night, Leesha asked Maggie where her food goes. "In the swidge!" (fridge, and she's right, because more often than not, she's done before her food is. However, Leesha was trying to get her to say 'tummy'.

I have no idea why Maggie dragged the plunger out of the bathroom telling me; "The Cat in the Hat, Mom."

And some that Jeffry left in drafts:

Jack: "That old guy found a coin in my ear."

Jack asked if I would make the fort featured in the instruction set. I told him I'd like for him to try. His reply was...

"My brain is too hard to make a house. And so my eyes are cranky"

Maggie:

Sersick = perfect

Sleestak from Land of the Lost

Sleestak = sleep-sack (a homemade fleece sleeping-bag with sleeves)

More Says That They Say

Maggie has dubbed her stuffed penguin "Popper Penguin".

She also calls Jack's G.I. Joe "Gye Joe".

When they're pretending to go to sleep, she'll say; "Sweep wey-o" (Sleep well).

I believe that she refers to her toes as "tiggy toes".

Looking out at the leaves on the ground, she informed Daddy that the trees were broken.

"Wa' some dice mom!" (remove the "d" from dice= ice)

"Swipadee" = slippery.

Maggie was up several times one night. I was getting frustrated at being woken up. I started to express this to her and firmly said she needed to stay asleep and stop shouting for me. She said; "Sawwy mom." Awww.

The next day we were on a walk and Jack chased a squirrel with his bike. I told Maggie that the squirrel was 'caret (scared). Her response: "Sawwy 'quirro." (sorry squirrel)

On the radio one morning; Staying Alive by the Bee Gees. Jack wanted to listen to it again, so I had to try to explain that I can't re-play songs on the radio. Later he asked about the 'Ah ah ah ah" song.

Keeping us in stitches

Jack has a toy that he has dubbed "Mr. Stinky Pants".

One morning, while I was in the shower, Maggie poked her head in. I caught a "whiff". I asked if she'd pooped, and she said "uh-huh". I asked if she had stinky pants. She informed me; "I no Stinky Pants. I Maggie."

The tail end of Jack conversation on his newest broken cellular phone; "3pm. Okay Dad, I'm ready for the concert."

Upon waking up, Jack informs me; "I feel pee-ish" (translation: I need to go to the bathroom). As I enter their room, Maggie informs me; "I sweeping." (I'm sleeping.)

Jack: "Hey mom, splish is onomatopoeia!"

At bedtime, the kids are trying their best to stay awake. I hear Maggie saying; "Jack, go Af'ica!" Jack comes and tells me; "Mom, Maggie is telling me to go to Africa, but I don't know the way."

Our van has been out of commission for 4 weeks, and at the transmission shop for a week. I went to pick it up this afternoon, only to find that on the way home, it was worse than it had been previously. Realizing I probably wouldn't make it home, we stopped at a Burger King. I grabbed some burgers for us so we wouldn't be dealing with the situation on empty stomachs. While we're eating and mulling over options, Jack suggests I do the steering and they'll push the van. If only ....

Jack: "Ooo ooo ooo, ooo eee" Maggie, it's loading."

In the car, observing a tiny spider on his carseat: "Maybe it's a Daddy Small-legs."

Maggie told me the other day that she wanted a "waddi-pop". She wanted to go to the Dr. and get a shot for a "waddi-pop".