5 minutes for unsportsman-like conduct

Connor has discovered DEFIANCE. Not small cap defiance which he's had since leaving the womb, but cap lock defiance. He argues every point with the righteous fury only a 4 year old or a religious zealot can, making about as much sense. He's pushing his envelope, only his is the size of a circus tent made of silly putty and mom and dad's is the size of one of those little cards that come with flowers.

Sleeping Beauties

Sleeping Beauties, originally uploaded by zoo.keeper.

Last weekend we took the kids out for a bike ride. Connor started complaining right away that he wanted to go home. When I asked why he kept answering that he was scared which was weird since he's never been scared before. I told him we'd just ride a bit longer since after all the hassle of getting everybody out of the house, putting the trailer together, and digging the bikes out we were going to ride, dammit! Oh, and getting their helmets on is like washing cats. Anyway, 15 minutes of solid complaining then he got quiet. I turn around to ask if they're ok and they're both sleeping. Took a quick video too, but by this point Liam had woken up again. Probably because his brother's big head kept hitting him.

Untitled from Zoo Keeper and Vimeo.

Sweet Mother of all that's Holy!

I'm giving the kids their pre-bed snacks tonight (which means chasing them around the house with a cup of yogurt) when I notice Connor has disappeared. I'm not too worried since he's already had some Ovaltine and an orange. Anyway, I call his name and he tells me he's here. Thanks, could ya narrow that down for me a bit? I want to give him a bit more of the yogurt too since I'd offered him some earlier and he just took it instead of twisting his face in agony like he usually does. Quick tour of the main floor and I realize he's upstairs. Liam is already on his way up since Connor is upstairs and we have to be wherever our big brother is. Also good since now I don't have to man-handle him up there to get him ready for bed. Can't see Connor in anyone's room so I call him again and his answering voice comes from our ensuite bathroom. I start walking to the bathroom, mind already gingerly approaching the unthinkable, and sure enough, he's on the toilet. Got on all by himself to take care of some business. Sigh. I gave him a carte-blanche tomorrow. Whatever he wants, wherever he wants to go.

PS. The bathroom pic is actually at my sister's in Kamloops. It's a good picture and her bathroom is much prettier than mine.

Why you should never shop when you're hungry...

Pistachio flavoured Jello. What the hell was I thinking?

Computerless: Day 3

Dear God in heaven! What did we do before computers and the internet? I feel like I'm living in a cave at night. Maybe it would be better if it were the middle of tv season but I don't even have that to fall back on. What am I supposed to do, clean the house and play with the kids? I can't take much more of this.

Computerless

The computer, as Connor says, is at the computer doctor's right now. Don't think we'll be seeing it again until at least Sunday. It's been acting a little funky lately. Actually, since I am a Mac snob, it's been acting like a PC, and that's no good. Anyway, no updates and no Messenger for the rest of the week. What the hell am I going to do without my computer?

Recipe for Stress Release

What do you do when you've been feeling stressed and harried and haven't had much time to pamper yourself? How to deal with all the aggravations life throws at you? Walk to Railway Avenue, pick a bucketful of blackberries (the scratches and cuts are worth it), combine them with the raspberries in the freezer, the blueberries and apples languishing in the fridge and make pie, acutually 2 pies, that's how.



What to do with the leftover blueberries? Hmmmmm, how about a Blueberry-Lemon Streusel Coffee Cake? Shhhhhh, don't tell Chad, I'm supposed to be napping as I'm working tonight. Yum, the kitchen smells like I'm baking something buttery and fruity.



Out of the oven at last! They look pretty good. Off to catch some z's so I can function at work tonight.

Memories of Sleep

Liam is 2. He's not even 3 feet tall yet. How is it that when he ends up in bed with us in the middle of the night after a nightmare he magically morphs into a 6'5 NBA point guard? And what's with the rhythmic gymnastics? He wasn't even awake. Big goofy smile on his face but totally asleep. Oh well, that's what a venti americano was invented for.

Why I Need A Camera Imbedded In My Forehead

Bern was feeding Liam some yogurt for his pre-bed snack. Just as she sticks a big spoonful of peach Danino into his mouth, he sneezes. I laughed so hard I nearly peed my pants. My stomach still hurts.

Happy Family!

Happy Family! from Zoo Keeper and Vimeo.

Fireworks

Untitled from Zoo Keeper and Vimeo.

Grand Theft Auto

I have this game called Grand Theft Auto. If you are unfamiliar with this game, you are basically playing a bad guy and building your crime empire from the ground up. As the name implies, there is a lot of car theft involved. I made the mistake of letting Connor see me play it once and now he always wants me to play it. I keep the violence to a minimum by just driving cars around the city, which he loves and trying not to get chased by the police. This last bit is important because if you do get caught by the cops they beat the hell out of you and for awhile Connor was of the opinion that police were bad men. Bad daddy. We're slowly convincing him otherwise, but definately not something to teach the kids. It's also had other fringe benefits like last weekend when we met a mother and her three children in the playground near our house. One of the boys was playing with a bunch of toy cars, one of which was a police car. Connor picked it up and said, "look, a police car. The police man was angry at daddy." Ha ha, time to go home, boys.