Shower Jeopardy

I think there needs to be a new Jeopardy category just for parents:

Heard It from the Shower

Today's Daily Double:  In great haste, a parent will exit the shower at the sound of this thing.

~~~

I asked my friends on FB a similar question and got some truly hilarious answers.

There is always something!  Seldom do I make it through an entire shower without at least one mystery noise to decode.

In fact, my peaceful morning routine (after making sure that everyone is squared away with what he/she needs to be doing - school assignments, chores, occupying the littles etc.) typically goes something like this:

(turn on shower)

"Mommy!!  I poooooped!"

(turn off shower)

"Okay, are you good?  I'm getting in the shower now."

(turn on shower)

(knock at the door followed by a muffled complaint/tattle/philosophical question about hippos - I really can't tell.......because I'm in the shower.)

"I can't hear you, so unless it's an emergency, you're going to have to wait."

(muffled talking continues)

"Honey, I can't hear you!  Unless it's an emergency, you're going to have to wait!"

(series of thumps and the sound of running)

This one's like a choose your own adventure...

Thumps and running followed by tears -->  shut off water and investigate.

Thumps and running not followed by tears --> ignore.

(more thumps and running)

(screaming -  but not the hurt kind - the super angry 2yo kind)

"What's going on?"

(more screaming)

"GUYS!  What is going on?"

(no answer)

(shut off water - open one eye with shampoo dripping down my face - yell)

"CAN ANYBODY HEAR ME?!?!"

(a short individual appears outside the shower door with an explanation about who took what from whom)

(no one is injured - water on)

About this time the hot water runs out because someone in the other shower has been using it for a storm scene for Lego guys, while in the shower not actually washing.

(cut my losses, finish up as fast as possible, and pursue any further-needed investigations)

Soooo, today...

This was a new one, actually.

Approximately 2 minutes and 43 seconds into what was going to be a micro-shower anyway, I hear -

CRASH!!!

 clink - clink - clink - clink - clink 

Followed by a collective, "Ohhhhhhh!"

Then silence.

(water off)

"Nobody move!  Don't touch anything!  I want to see how it broke!"

It was definitely the sound of breaking glass!  But I was concerned a window may have been broken by someone on the outside.  So the fact that one of the kids broke it from the inside, strangely, made me feel a lot better.

This is one example of how my motherly propensity toward worst-case-scenario thinking pays off at times.  I can pretty much always think of how something could have been worse, so that makes whatever the something actually is not seem so bad.

The responsible party fessed up right away with penitence and trepidation - 

and a newly-acquired $90 tab, if anyone in the neighborhood is hiring. 

So the final answer in today's Heard It from the Shower category is:

What is the sound of shattering glass?

Cheers y'all!  It's definitely Monday.

Bread Winner

 One of my favorite things about small children is that they do things that just make absolutely zero sense whatsoever.  

It really is an endearing quality - depending on the associated cost, of course.

I am forever stumbling upon these "kid calling cards" that leave me with a figurative thought bubble of question marks above my head.

Taking the prize this week:

 I went to make sandwiches and pulled out what appeared to be a brand new loaf of bread.

But the first piece looked like this.

I was confused.

I removed it and grabbed the next.

Then the next.

 And the next.

And then next.

Until I reached the very last piece, which not surprisingly, also had a hole drilled right through the middle of it.

The entire loaf had been cored!

What in the heck??

Happily, the kids were quick to offer witness statements:

"Oh, Bubby did that."

 "He opened it up and kind of Hulk smashed through the whole thing."

"Yeah, Dad said that's his loaf now; he has to eat it."

So, there you have it!

If you've ever wondered what a loaf of bread looks like that has been Hulk smashed by a 4yo, here you go!

I asked him for myself, "Bubby, why on earth did you Hulk smash an entire loaf of bread?!"

He responded nonchalantly, without looking up from the train he was rolling back and forth at eye-level on the kitchen table, "Oh, I was just looking for cavities."

And here I thought this conversation was going to clear things up.

Sooo, I'm not sure if this means the bread did or did not have cavities, but either way, it appears that Hulk took care of it.

Tender Ammendment

I found this while checking Little Sis' math homework:

That's my girl!  :)

Counting Sheep

 Counting sheep is what I am both doing and not doing at the present moment.

Baby Sis loves her Lambie.  

It's not my first day out, so as soon as she latched onto it as her lovie of choice, I made sure to get Lambie a stunt double - just in case.

(I am certain that any parent of a kid with a lovie knows that feeling of terror and dread when a lovie comes up missing after a trip to the park or the grocery store.)

So in my effort to think ahead, I ended up getting Baby Sis doubly hooked.  In a twist of events, the Lambies became a figuratively inseparable entity, equally-loved, and deemed suitable only as a pair.

Now naptime, and bedtime, and anytime between require, in her words, "Two Lambies!  Two Lambies!"

It has been a loooooong time since I've gotten Baby Sis to part with "Two Lambies" for a much-needed trip through the washing machine, so this morning I decided it was time.

I was on top of it.

First thing in the morning - nowhere near naptime or bedtime - golden.

"Two Lambies" -  and Bubby's blue blankets - were washed and dried before they had barely been missed.

But of course, that leads to the question of the hour:

What does a toddler do with a freshly-washed lovie, right at bedtime, when she is juuuust about to be tucked in for the night?

Pees on it.

Yes, indeed.

So here I sit, waiting on the other half of "Two Lambies" to come out of the wash so that when Baby Sis counts her sheep tonight, I'll be able to count mine too!

:)

Although I would like to add, it's nice to see that Murphy's Kid Law is still alive and well.

If you missed that the first time around, click here! 

Crime of Opportunity

I was busy painting the adjacent room of our home, when I returned to find the following items ransacked and stolen:

The suspect is approximately 3ft tall and 30lbs - with curly blonde hair and brown eyes - and was last seen wearing blue ruffle-butt pants and a Frozen hooded towel.

'Twas the Season

It was going to be 'Tis the Season - but true to the season itself, there was so much going on that I never got around to posting these.

However~

Younger Brother lives for this time of year!  His joy and enthusiasm for Christmastime are infectious!  And I couldn't possibly let it slip by without sharing a glimpse into his world and the one he creates for us here.

I love this kid!

~~~

I really have zero interest in putting up outdoor lights.  Not because I don't like having them, but just because I don't like being cold - and it's usually cold.  Younger Brother, on the other hand, couldn't care less. He'd be thrilled to do it if it were 5 degrees outside, so I'm happy to hand over the job.

Luckily, we did get a few nice days about a week before Thanksgiving, and he came to us and asked if he could put up some lights.  We said, "sure" - on one condition:

It couldn't be hodgepodge; it had to look nice.

I should know better by now than to grant permission to Younger Brother to do anything under only one condition.

Not 15 minutes later, I looked out of an upstairs bedroom window and saw him in his climbing gear, fully harnessed, and belaying out of the tree - wrapping the branches in lights on the way down.

        I can't say I've seen lights put up in quite this fashion, but I suppose it makes sense.
And he did anchor himself at least, right?

He completed that task without incident and moved on to the house.

Being that Younger Brother does everything at "maximum enthusiasm" capacity,  I thought this shot of his radio (which was projecting music across the yard from the All Christmas All the Time channel) next to his climbing harness was rather poetic.

"THIS IS NOT A STEP"

Except when it is.

He did pay very close attention to detail - 

making sure everything was evenly spaced.

Per usual, his adventures were closely followed by his most loyal spectator,

who was super excited, not about the lights, but about the reanimation of

Frosty!

This snowman has been a beloved part of our holiday decor since Younger Brother received him as a gift when he was a toddler.

In fact, I know there are posts on the blog from way back when Frosty used to take up residence in our living room.

Speaking of living rooms, Younger Brother decorates both inside and out.

He is in charge of the lights on our tree, the girls' tree, his own tree, and general decor.  Every year he turns the room he and Bubs share into quite the Christmas wonderland.

This picture (taken last year) is one of my all-time favs.

It was the first time we lit the tree in YB and Bubby's room and he was in awe.

I'm so glad I stopped in the midst of the bedtime chaos to capture it!  I wasn't so sure at the time.

Along with the tree in their room, there is a light-up train painting, a giant snowflake, multiple strands of lights trimming the perimeter,  

and (new this year) icicle lights on the door frame.

Bubby was a spectator for that too.

In addition to the main tree in the dining room, he added lights around the back door and set up a Star Shower for the ceiling and walls. The Star Shower is really intended for outdoor use, but he decided the moving lazer light show was much more effective inside than out - and less likely to get stolen as some of the others in the neighborhood did.  Plus, it makes dinnertime way more fun.

I told Younger Brother I would take a picture of the outside of the house, and I was really hoping I would be able to do it when there was snow on the ground.  The snowfall we had on Princess A's birthday turned out to be perfect!  I love the moonlight on the trees and the snowman keeping watch in the yard.

Of course, it seemed a little less magical at the time, with Biggest Brother (who accompanied me because it was dark and I'm a chicken) facetiously groaning, 

"Mommm, why do you make me come outside with you in the middle of the night to take pictures of Christmas lights?  You know it's like 20 degrees right?  Oh my gosh, you're taking more?!?! What, were they not smiling the first time???"

But look how pretty!

This year's decor was anything but hodgepodge.

Thanks, Younger Brother!  

Christmas spirit increases ten fold when you're at the helm!!!

Disruption Junction

Question:  How many toddlers does it take to irrevocably disrupt a one-room schoolhouse?

Answer: 1

Don't let the Magna Doodle fool you.  She was not, in fact, writing with it.  Rather, she was "walking it" around the room by the string like a dog about thirty seconds prior to this.

Baby Sis is a master of distraction.  

I love her dearly.

That's probably why she's a master of distraction; I've gone soft by her spot in the birth order.

Still, it is pretty astounding how skilled she is at her trade.

Last week, while engaging in independent play, she pulled out the oven drawer and marched on the stack of cookie sheets inside, made cymbals out of the stock pan lid, completely disassembled the Mr. Coffee, and required relocation to another part of the house entirely in order for the big kids to hear their science video.

At that point, the big kids were 3 minutes and 22 seconds into the video.  3 minutes! 

How is that even possible?!

Today, she got chewy granola bar stuck to the couch, had a saltine cracker picnic on the stairs with the dog, made two siblings scream, "Mommy!," had an award-winning Edward Scissorhands moment

(those last two might have been related),

"walked" the Magna Doodle,

and ran the schoolroom pencil sharpener for a reeeeally long time - mostly on erasers.

So basically, I'm thinking it's a really good thing this is the kids' current memory verse!
We're certainly getting lots of practical application this week!