Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow

Today, we, um, went to the playground yet again. This time, we hooked up with friends of ours with 3 kids, whose mom blogs here. It went pretty well. H was hesitant at first, but he and K ended up kind of playing with the soccer ball. Y went down for a time out and didn't recover until lunch time.

When we got to the park, Lee and I headed for the playground and Y & H dawdled about the car, eating their raisins (now rationed, because of excessive usage - 24 oz. bucket o' raisins in one day) and bananas and Cheerios. But let me back up a minute....

Yesterday, we did a lesson about TODAY IS and YESTERDAY WAS and TOMORROW IS... and we realized that tomorrow was Grandmommie's birthday. OK! So we talked about that and called her to see if we could come over today (yesterday's tomorrow). So, today, we had to get in baths (we're not the best about this, and the kids sure as heck don't remind us) and make cards for Grandmommie and meet our friends at the park at 10.

So, we're making cards... nothing elaborate... the old heart cut out and glued onto the inside of another piece of construction paper. Woo. Well, I keep forgetting that A. my kids just learned how to use scissors, B. they have never used glue? and C. they both have decided to be perfectionists about their writing and drawing. "Garbage!" rip, tear, shred.... Me and Lee: "It's fine! It's very nice... grandmommie will love it." Finally they each eek out a card, then want to make more. Fine, there's a little time. I give them 15 minute, 10 minute and 5 minute warnings. Y didn't want breakfast earlier, so she picks the 5 minute warning to say "Breakfast?" I say, "Yes, now if you want breakfast." She says "No, one more card." I say, "Then no breakfast." She looks up at me all innocent and says "Yordanos no breakfast?" I say " Yes! Right now. Breakfast." She says, "card for Aunt Carrie." I say "ok, then no breakfast." She says pouting "Habtamu, Daddy, Mommy breakfast. Yordanos no breakfast." GAAAAAAAAAAAAH.... that is the sound of my spleen rupturing. So we get the kids in the car, and I packed up the Cheerios, bananas and raisins, which they wanted to eat as soon as we got to the playground.

Ok, to resume... so they're dinking around with breakfast. Lee and I are swinging from the bars (Lee can swing... I can kind of hang) and I say "They're really acting like... CHILDREN." Lee says "Yeah, like they need to be TRAINED or something."

Y went down for time out because she used her imperial "COME!" to me and then made a face at me when I said "Come, please." I have less and less tolerance for that, which I assume means it is a BUTTON TO PUSH AT EVERY MOMENT. She sat on the bench and threw her beaded necklaces to the ground. I picked them up and put them in my pocket. Once home, her bad mood continued. She walked around the house muttering "Daddy, Mommy, Habtamu, Yes: Yordanos, No" (Do you sense a THEME?) We ignored her until lunch time... remember, we were still on a schedule... oh, yes, and we had to get Lee and H haircuts at 1 before Grandmommie's house. We made her sit with us at lunch. She pushed her macaroni away. H would make high pitched exhortations to her to just say Sorry and eat macaroni. And then suddenly her face changed from scowling to at peace and she said "Sorry Mommy, sorry Daddy. Sauce, please." Ah, the fickleness of youth.

Grandmommie ended up getting 3 cards from H and 2 from Y. I had the kids bring their cards downstairs earlier, so I just grabbed the pile. H had made 4 cards, and I knew that, but had no idea where the 4th one was. It was enough for him to be all, well, pissy about it when we got to Grandma's, and we were like "HEY! It's not Grandma's fault!" Well, yikes, I found the 4th card at home, sitting where I'd apparently left it. I must admit that I took and hid the card, since he'd moved on since then. Should I bring it back out and confess, or should it stay hidden and I'll tell him about it when he's 16?